Slow and Steady

I keep wanting to dive headfirst into new writing ideas, but I keep reminding myself that I need to develop a regular schedule with my current writing ideas. I’m not trying to step all over my own creativity, but I am trying to follow through on my original plans. That’s why my notebook is so important because as I’m developing better writing habits, I need a place to put those new ideas while I’m developing my current ideas. I keep working on new ideas on the side, but I’m determined to build my first two ideas slowly and steadily so I can train myself to be a more capable writer.

Slow and steady for me means that I must discipline myself to work for a few hours, and then I look at my blog publishing schedule. I write some posts, and when there is time left over, I work on new writing ideas. My notebook is always close by to record thoughts so I don’t forget, but I have to make myself focus on what needs to be done. Essentially, I’m just using the same skills I once used in someone else’s office to make certain that I stay on task. I haven’t stopped working. I’ve just had to create my own deadlines and goals instead of a supervisor telling me what those are. Until I struck out on my own, I had not realized how ingrained it was in me to do my work according to someone else’s orders. It’s almost as if I feel like I’m doing something wrong by setting my own schedule, goals, and deadlines. Does anyone else feel that way when they stop working in a traditional work setting?

After more than 25 years of working for other people, I’ve learned how I schedule things. I don’t need a fancy planner. I use one notebook in which I record the goals for the week and year, and I have a calendar with monthly and weekly sections. The most important thing for me is the list of goals each week because it lets me know what I need to get done versus what I want to get done. Some tasks move from one week to the next because they aren’t immediate. My daily schedule is often adjusted around what I need to get done professionally and personally which is one of the main reasons I don’t want to work under someone else’s schedule anymore. (Don’t get me wrong. I understand that employers need employees to set their schedules according to the company’s needs, but I’m at a point where I need to be able to set my work schedule without deference to an employer so I can meet family needs.)

As I’m progressing, I’m learning what I need to do each day and when it is better to work ahead so that I’m not waiting until the last minute to complete tasks. When I was in college for the first time, I could wait until the last minute to write a research paper and knock it out in one night. As a middle-aged adult, I need more sleep than that. Ha! I no longer like to leave things until the last minute when I could be working on them days in advance. I’ve heard several content creators talk about preparing blog posts or videos days, weeks, and even months in advance, and ultimately, that is a goal of mine so that my blog posts aren’t hanging over my head every day.

Yes, it takes time to get a blog where you want it, and I still have so much that I want to do to improve mine. However, I’m moving at a pace that is comfortable for me. If that is slow and steady, that’s okay. I’m more concerned with quality than quantity. Setting a schedule wasn’t an unexpected part of being a writer but, when I don’t meet a deadline, the buck stops with me. The advantage to that is that I’m taking my writing seriously. Pick your pace so that it is sustainable. It isn’t a competition. It’s a long-term goal so treat it like a marathon in stead of a sprint. I’m perfectly fine being the tortoise instead of the hare.

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Inspirational Verses for the Day:

Go to the ant, you slacker! Observe its ways and become wise. Without leader, administrator, or ruler, it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food during harvest. (Proverbs 6:6-8, CSB)