Setting Goals for the New Year

A new year usually means new goals. I don’t do the resolution thing, but I do try to set a goal or two. Maybe this year I can actually make a better effort at achieving my goals (because I did a lousy job in 2016--setting them and obtaining them).

Which means I need to make sure it’s a goal I can achieve. Can I read 90 books in a year? Sure, if I’m not writing. Since I want to write more, I need to adjust my reading goal accordingly. Now, I don’t really have to set a reading goal, but it’s fun and I like fun. Who doesn’t?

Here are my long-term goals for 2017:

1. Write a weekly "to-do" list. This will help with those short-term goals that pop up every now and then. I find if I don't write it down in this little journal I keep by my computer, it doesn't always get done. My mind tends to get distracted a lot and I end up forgetting to do things I need to do. Plus, it feels really good to cross stuff off the list!
2. Read at least 65 books. I can’t stop reading. #1: I love it. #2: It helps fuel my imagination. I learn a lot just from reading.
3. Write the first draft of Book #8. Book #7 took way too long and I need to get back into writing faster (like I used to). So my goal is to finish the first draft six months after I start it. I’ve done it before, so it’s not an impossible goal.
4. Reduce the time I spend on e-mails and social media. At least between the hours of 9am-4pm. I have to resist the need to open every e-mail until later, like after Hubby gets home. I've been getting better, only opening those e-mails that look important and saving the rest for later (when I'm done with my writing for the day). Now, this won't apply to those weeks where I'm hosting the Sizzle and Sass page, but that usually only happens one week every three months. Usually.
5. Exercise harder, five days a week. I’ve been doing okay, even though I slacked off the past two weeks. But if my last cruise taught me anything, it’s that I need more cardio in my workout. True, some of my problems can be due to my leaky heart valve, but not all of it. Gotta keep at it so when that day comes and I need surgery, I’ll be in good shape.

Did you watch the OSU game? Oh. My. God. Was that just awful or what? And then what the heck happened to the Steelers? Sure they sat out three players. But they only sat out THREE players. That game should have never even gone into overtime. Thank goodness the Penguins won on Saturday. But now I have to wait a week before the next game. Bye weeks in hockey seem ridiculous! Oh, and in case you were wondering, I'm rooting for USC in the Rose Bowl.

So… Are you setting goals this year? Do you make them challenging or reachable? If I make them too hard to obtain, I find I just give up. I do NOT want to give up.

Happy Monday!

Stacy