Wading Through Life...
As the song says, life can be hard sometimes. Doing things is hard sometimes. Believe it or not, even words are hard sometimes. Many of us start out the new year wanting (sometimes desperately) to make changes in our lives. Myself included! But change is hard. This past November, I found a key that helped me accomplish a goal. It still wasn’t easy, but it was easier. I went from not writing at all to getting in several writing sprints per day. The key? Accountability. I asked a few fellow authors who were participating in the same monthly challenge as me if they wanted to start a small accountability group. Just post your goals and chick in daily. That’s all. We would hold each other accountable to work towards our goals, offer encouragement, celebrate our wins, and help find solutions to struggles.
Guess what? It worked! And so did I!!
After all, I’d be horribly embarrassed if I failed completely. That got me through the first few days. Then I was encouraged by the response and progress of my fellow authors. The writing got easier (most days), and I found myself looking forward to posting my progress each day.
I mean, I wasn’t perfect. I didn’t write every single day, because…life. Right? But in just 30 days, I got a hell of a lot more done than in the previous 6 months.
December came. The challenge ended. I stopped posting and—bam! No more words.
Suddenly all the other stuff on my plate became more important, more urgent, more—well—noticeable if it wasn’t done. More noticeable than the writing.
But I have a book I want to finish. Editing to accomplish. I have a series I want to publish this year.
I could struggle alone, or ask for some accountability!
So a small group of authors are joining me this year to Get Some Shit Done!
I believe this is part of creating good goals that can actually come to fruition. Most people have this idea that they have to do it all themselves. I don’t know why we feel this way. All work is easier if you have a helping hand.
Look at the obstacles and put a system in place that will help you take the steps. It will be so much easier! Whether its an exercise partner, or an in-person class to learn the thing you’ve been trying alone for the longest time, or a weekly meeting to give your family a time and place to decide on meals for the week.
What are your goals for this year? Do you have a plan to accomplish them?
I'd love to hear from you!
Dani
It Caught My Eye...
I've had stairs on my mind lately. A stairwell plays a prominent place in my current work-in-progress (WIP) as the location of a very tragic event, an event that the heroine is reminded of every time she has to pass or use this staircase in the house. It makes the home a very emotional place for her. What should be a beautiful centerpiece as you enter a home is transformed into a reminder of grief and tragedy.
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’m a Planner Girl! I have a 3-drawer set of planner supplies and put together weekly spreads pretty regularly. It helps me stay on track and, frankly, clears out the cobwebs.
Many years ago, I learned to do what I call a brain dump. If I pour everything out onto a To Do list (appointments, chores, projects, etc), then I no longer have to use a lot of brain power to keep track of those things. I’ve fine-tuned this to a monthly and weekly calendar setup so my To Dos don’t outdistance my time (mostly…).
And now I’ve become addicted to planning every week, usually on Sunday afternoons. Which means…an excuse to use stickers! 😊 Just kidding. Not!
For my fellow planner girls or those who want to get started, here’s a list of some of my favorite tools, along with some of my daughter’s also (because I managed to pass this one gene along!).
BENEATH THE SURFACE, Small Town Secrets Book 1
Welcome to Cadence, TN–where secrets can be deadly.
Too many secrets…
Hidden in a quiet town along the Tennessee border, a secret society exists where the privileged fulfill their darkest desires. One of their members initiates a desperate act designed to bring home his lifelong obsession: Emma Hartwell.
A past not forgotten…
Drawn back to her hometown by the psychic connection with her twin, Emma must fight the stubborn silence of those around her in her quest to find her missing sister. Colin McIntyre hopes to make up for his past mistakes with Emma by helping her, but his own ties to the Gathering might be exposed along the way.
Time is running out…
Exposure could be dangerous for his family, along with himself and Emma. Can they fight the secrets and lies to rescue Emma’s sister… and their own chance at life-long love?
Other books in the Small Town Secrets series (can be read in any order):
BEHIND THE SCARS
SNOW BOUND
Amazon
B&N
Apple Books
Kobo
For my fellow planner girls or those who want to get started, here’s a list of some of my favorite tools, along with some of my daughter’s also (because I managed to pass this one gene along!).
- Passion Planner is the actual planner I use (monthly and weekly spreads-I prefer undated-with monthly and yearly reflection questions), but there are a lot of different ones out there. Passion Planner also posts content on Instagram and YouTube. I enjoy watching their ideas for different ways to use their planners.
- Archer & Olive is really good for those who like to do bullet journals. This is my daughter’s preferred option (and you can see some of her spreads on her blog here-alittlebithappierblog.com). These journals have high quality bindings and paper that doesn’t bleed, which can be a big deal when you are creating your own spreads.
- The HB90 planner by Sarah Cannon is available on Etsy and is wonderful for all the authors out there! I bought the download and use some of the ideas to incorporate into my own planner. I also print word count charts and some decision-making tools she has to help me keep my planner useful for author needs. She has an awesome HB90 class and you can also watch planner videos on her Heart Breathings YouTube channel.
- My sister, author Ella Sheridan, and I are working through the Heal the Way You Work class (based on the Do Less book by Kate Northrup). This teaches you how to plan your schedule based on your energies of that day/week/month. A very different approach, but I’m finding it very interesting. Fingers crossed I can figure this out, but her checklists of questions for creating annual/quarterly/weekly schedules is super helpful for clarifying goals and focuses.
- Stickers!!! I love and use a lot of Happy Planner sticker books. I especially like all the quotes and encouraging sayings in them. I was gifted some gothic ones for Christmas from HoundsflyteDesigns on Etsy that I’m loving! My daughter and I immediately went to her store and bought more of them.
- Pens, pens, and more pens… I have a lot of these but not as many as some planners. I’m very picky about mine… My favorite black pens are uni-ball signo, whether I’m writing or planning. I also have a set of Pentel EnerGel colored pens that work well. My daughter likes Muji gel pens in 0.58 and Tombow duel brush pens.
- But planning is always a good excuse for a STAPLES TRIP! I collect all kinds of Post It notes, page tabs, and washi tape. Writers love all kinds of office supplies, but I mean, who wouldn’t?!?!
Experience Cadence, TN, with BENEATH THE SURFACE
BENEATH THE SURFACE, Small Town Secrets Book 1
Welcome to Cadence, TN–where secrets can be deadly.
Too many secrets…
Hidden in a quiet town along the Tennessee border, a secret society exists where the privileged fulfill their darkest desires. One of their members initiates a desperate act designed to bring home his lifelong obsession: Emma Hartwell.
A past not forgotten…
Drawn back to her hometown by the psychic connection with her twin, Emma must fight the stubborn silence of those around her in her quest to find her missing sister. Colin McIntyre hopes to make up for his past mistakes with Emma by helping her, but his own ties to the Gathering might be exposed along the way.
Time is running out…
Exposure could be dangerous for his family, along with himself and Emma. Can they fight the secrets and lies to rescue Emma’s sister… and their own chance at life-long love?
Other books in the Small Town Secrets series (can be read in any order):
BEHIND THE SCARS
SNOW BOUND
Amazon
B&N
Apple Books
Kobo
#PlannerAddict
I didn’t realize until recently that this was a thing… I’ve been a planner, a creator of To Do, lists my entire life. I’ve enjoyed videos by Sara Cannon on Heart Breathings (check out her YouTube channel!) about her planners and use of the Kanban board, which I’ve recently adopted in a modified form. I also look through Passion Planner videos, as that is the type of planner I use.
I think planning people have a compulsion to write things down. I used to think this was because I was a writer. Now I know that it’s three-fold: both the writing aspect and the control aspect and the brain-dump aspect. Shocking! (not for anyone who knows me personally…)
I’m never without a pen and paper; this is always the first thing I reach for when I need to remember something. Typing doesn’t do it for me. Physically writing things down seems to cement them in my brain for some reason. Instead of reaching for that ephemeral thought, it’s like being able to easily find the place I stored it and revisit it (anyone seen the movie Dreamcatcher?). So using a computer or electronic calendar doesn’t really help me as much as creating a physical plan. I only use the calendar in my phone so that it will send me alerts for appointments…shameful in this day and age, I know!
My husband will attest to the fact that I’m a control freak…with a little more enthusiasm than I am comfortable with. 😊 Just like the compulsion to plan out my books to ensure I don’t forget something, I need to plan out my life to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. It still happens, but I feel much more comfortable knowing that I at least tried.
Which leads to the next part: I’m juggling a full-time day job, a husband on a retail schedule for his job, two teenagers with their own activities, and a writing career (and extended family, friends, chores… it never ends). That’s an overwhelming amount of minutiae to keep up with. And while some might say that’s not completely my job, my personality won’t let me delegate it to someone else. I’m a control-freak, as I established above…but I simply can’t keep it all stuffed in my brain. The busier we are and the older I get, the more things that fall by the wayside. I do my best to simplify and oust unnecessary time wasters so we can meet our obligations and still have down time, but frankly, my brain has more important things to do than keeping up with when my next doctor’s appointment is. I’d rather write it down and forget about it until it shows up on my planner.
Most recently, I discovered something new about planning: it can be pretty and fun! Before I was a writer, and no longer had time for many hobbies, I used to scrapbook. I really enjoyed it, but was overwhelmed by the years of pictures that I couldn’t keep up with. But I’ve found that I can use my planner to do something similar. I can decorate it with pretty and inspirational stickers. Instead of writing down a doctor’s appointment, I can put a pretty tag there. I can indulge my pen obsession by trying out different colors and types.
But I can also fill in gratitude lists…memories from special days…photos of special events…and quotes that inspire me. On days when I’m discouraged over my word count, I can look back over my progress the last few months. I mark down each marketing task I complete so I remember that I’ve done something towards connecting with my readers. I go back and notate sick days so I don’t think all those blank hours were because I was just flaky…no, I had a reason I couldn’t do anything today (it’s easy to forget and blame ourselves, right?).
So, even though being a #PlannerAddict might seem like a trendy thing, I’m finding it essential to not just productivity and planning, but for my own positive mental health.
What about you? Do you use a planner? Apps? How do you keep up with life?
Dani
I didn’t realize until recently that this was a thing… I’ve been a planner, a creator of To Do, lists my entire life. I’ve enjoyed videos by Sara Cannon on Heart Breathings (check out her YouTube channel!) about her planners and use of the Kanban board, which I’ve recently adopted in a modified form. I also look through Passion Planner videos, as that is the type of planner I use.
I think planning people have a compulsion to write things down. I used to think this was because I was a writer. Now I know that it’s three-fold: both the writing aspect and the control aspect and the brain-dump aspect. Shocking! (not for anyone who knows me personally…)
I’m never without a pen and paper; this is always the first thing I reach for when I need to remember something. Typing doesn’t do it for me. Physically writing things down seems to cement them in my brain for some reason. Instead of reaching for that ephemeral thought, it’s like being able to easily find the place I stored it and revisit it (anyone seen the movie Dreamcatcher?). So using a computer or electronic calendar doesn’t really help me as much as creating a physical plan. I only use the calendar in my phone so that it will send me alerts for appointments…shameful in this day and age, I know!
My husband will attest to the fact that I’m a control freak…with a little more enthusiasm than I am comfortable with. 😊 Just like the compulsion to plan out my books to ensure I don’t forget something, I need to plan out my life to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. It still happens, but I feel much more comfortable knowing that I at least tried.
Which leads to the next part: I’m juggling a full-time day job, a husband on a retail schedule for his job, two teenagers with their own activities, and a writing career (and extended family, friends, chores… it never ends). That’s an overwhelming amount of minutiae to keep up with. And while some might say that’s not completely my job, my personality won’t let me delegate it to someone else. I’m a control-freak, as I established above…but I simply can’t keep it all stuffed in my brain. The busier we are and the older I get, the more things that fall by the wayside. I do my best to simplify and oust unnecessary time wasters so we can meet our obligations and still have down time, but frankly, my brain has more important things to do than keeping up with when my next doctor’s appointment is. I’d rather write it down and forget about it until it shows up on my planner.
Most recently, I discovered something new about planning: it can be pretty and fun! Before I was a writer, and no longer had time for many hobbies, I used to scrapbook. I really enjoyed it, but was overwhelmed by the years of pictures that I couldn’t keep up with. But I’ve found that I can use my planner to do something similar. I can decorate it with pretty and inspirational stickers. Instead of writing down a doctor’s appointment, I can put a pretty tag there. I can indulge my pen obsession by trying out different colors and types.
But I can also fill in gratitude lists…memories from special days…photos of special events…and quotes that inspire me. On days when I’m discouraged over my word count, I can look back over my progress the last few months. I mark down each marketing task I complete so I remember that I’ve done something towards connecting with my readers. I go back and notate sick days so I don’t think all those blank hours were because I was just flaky…no, I had a reason I couldn’t do anything today (it’s easy to forget and blame ourselves, right?).
So, even though being a #PlannerAddict might seem like a trendy thing, I’m finding it essential to not just productivity and planning, but for my own positive mental health.
What about you? Do you use a planner? Apps? How do you keep up with life?
Dani