Keeping a Schedule

Lest you think I've moved on too quickly from the tragedy at Virginia Tech yesterday, please continue to send good thoughts that way. So many people are afraid today and that is not good.

I was afraid last week. Overwhelmed is more like it. I didn't feel well, my work was piling up, and things got a bit dark.

I know the reason for it now, after the fact. It's all a scheduling mishap.

I work really hard to make sure everyone gets everything on time, on deadline, exactly how they want it. But life gets crazy and I have to push back somewhere. The first thing to go is usually my well-oiled and streamlined schedule, which is such a bad idea.

How many of you have a schedule for your writing and your publishing each year?

If you do, do you stick to it? If you stick to it, how many times do you go back and review it to make sure your schedule really works for you?

I needed to reconfigure after last week. Spent the weekend resting and listening to my baby niece cooing over the telephone (she's so cute!). And I reconfigured.

I can't produce top-quality writing and editing continually. I need rest time and a lot of refueling time. (How come the rest and refueling always get pushed to the back of the priority list?)

So I came up with a plan. A series of ten ebb and flow cycles that will take me into 2009, but will ensure that I rest and refuel regularly.

I was raised pursuing goals and I love making lists, but nothing felt so good as this reconfiguration over the weekend.

Cycle 1 Feb/March
April Rest/Refuel
Cycle 2 May/June
July Rest/Refuel
Cycle 3 August/Sept
October Rest/Refuel
Cycle 4 Nov/Dec
January 2008 Rest/Refuel

and on it goes.

I encourage you to take stock of your writing and goals and to make sure you keep the "threshold low" so that accomplishment is ensured.

Keep Moving Forward!