Stepping Up to Another Round of #ROW80

And this one will be better!

After all, balance is my word for the year.

Writing/Editing:

• Morning Pages for a minimum of 250 words or half hour, whichever comes first, every day.
• Fiction, either 250 new words (new or existing WIP) or 1 hour of editing each week.
• Post three times a week here on the blog.
• Finish Margie Lawson’s Deep EDITS lesson packets.

Reading:

• A minimum of 8 books to stay on track for 100 books this year.
• Update Goodreads at least every other week.

Support/Social Media:

• Visit and comment on 5 blogs, at least three times per week, for a total of 15 blogs each week.
• One non-blog related post per week on Facebook and Twitter.
• One share, re-tweet, whatnot per week on Facebook and Twitter.

Non-Writery Stuff:

• Exercise three times per week.
• Complete The 30-day Diabetes Cure in April. (No, I’m not diabetic. My father is. He just completed this program and is off all meds! Between this and Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health my parents are healthier in their late 70′s than they’ve ever been and if that isn’t a testament, I don’t know what is.)
• Family day, no working and time with family, one day per week. (Thank you Julie Glover for this one!)

You can find and support other ROWers HERE.

What are you looking forward to this next quarter of 2013?

For those of you who celebrate it, I wish you and yours a wonderful Easter.

#ROW80 Round 1 Wrap-up

In the spirit of Kait Nolan’s Fix Your Focus post, I’m not going to beat myself up for a less than stellar Round.

I DID write on my Morning Pages most of the days of the Round (250 words or a half hour — whichever came first — going over word count more often than not).

I DID write over 6K on a dream idea that might become a story. I’ll have to get back to it and see what develops.

There was even a tiny bit of editing early in the Round.

I DID get about half way through the Deep EDITS lesson packets. I’ve found myself looking for and using the rhetorical devices I’ve learned so far.

I HAVE sent out resumes, more than I can count at this point, and continue to send out resumes. I’ve had a few interviews as well, and one job offer (which I turned down). And while the hunt is frustrating, I’m confident I’ll find something that is a good fit for my skill set and family.

We replaced the family truckster with a new-to-us van.

I DID chaperon #2′s field trip to Red Rock, help at #3′s Valentine’s party and #4′s Easter party, stay up until the wee hours of the morning helping #1 with a paper roller-coaster assignment, and see Craig Ferguson with That Man.

That Man and I received a compliment on the wee beasties while we were out to dinner the other night. Color us stunned. I admit, they were uncharacteristically well behaved. What an awesome thing for that woman to take a moment to say, “Well done.” Parenting is tough, rewarding but tough. It’s too easy to focus on the negative. I will definitely be paying this one forward!

I’m on pace toward my goal of reading 100 books this year.

How’d the first quarter of the year go for you?

You can find and support other ROWers here.

In Search of Time

It seems like I’m always in search of time. Or, rather, in search of managing time.

Sometimes, I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of time searching. Searching for a better way to manage time.

My most recent ahh-ha?

K. M. Weiland recently posted 7 Ways to Speed Up Your Writing by Steve Aedy.

I’m now trying the Pomodoro Technique. It’s not just about the timer. I’ve been using a timer method for years via the Flylady.

There’s even an online pomodoro timer set-up with this system in mind. (Great if your internet doesn’t go out like mind did over the weekend, LOL.)

No, it’s more about how manage the interruptions. How not to lose the momentum of your work/study time. How to better estimate the length of time an activity will take.

Similar to the Flylady idea, the Pomodoro Technique has a short break at the end of each unit of measurement and a longer break every four units. Plus, there’s something about an old-fashioned kitchen timer ticking down…

“With the Pomodoro Technique, figuring out how much time is wasted isn’t important; how many Pomodoros we’ve accomplished is.” — aw, positive reinforcement!

Have you heard of the Pomodoro Technique? Or use timers to keep you on task?

2013 in a Word

source

One of the things on my goal/to-do list I haven’t put on my ROW80 goals post, at least not yet, is to get back into reading blogs. That poor Google Reader is just stuffed to the brim.

I managed to get a bit of reading in over the weekend. Shock, I know. Especially if you’d been a fly on a wall in our house, assuming you escaped death and destruction from the four wee beasties. Anyway, a theme, if you will, kept popping up.

Resolutions…bah!

The name of the game is to select a word for the year. A word to strive for in your day-to-day life, not just one area of said life.

I LIKE IT.

It got me thinking, as I didn’t have anything planned for today’s post anyway, “What would be my word for the year?”

I need to juggle my work and personal life better. Not just my writing work but my EDJ work with the family, friends, and hobbies personal life. And not feel guilty about me-time.

My word for 2013 is

BALANCE

Have you heard of this before? Do you have a word for the year?

A New Year, a New Round of #ROW80

And it must be time for a new set of goals.

2012 went out with a whimper for me. Even with fabulous posts like Shan Jeniah’s Relax. Revel. Appreciate. Repeat and Joely’s Fake It Until You Make It (that spoke to me on many levels), I lost steam somewhere along the way and no amount of kicking my own arse (a challenge in and of itself, let me tell you) got me going again.

Perhaps, simply NOT taking part in ROW80 was the culprit.

I did get bogged down in the social media and the blog reading/commenting to the point of NOT writing. And did that muscle atrophied fast! Add EDJ on top of family commitments… Sigh.

It’s a new week. A new month. A new year. A new start.

In the mindset of the KISS principle, my goal this week is:

• Write 250 words (or edit for an hour) every day

Call it my test mile, if you will.

Additionally, my goal for this Round is:

• Complete one lesson per week from Margie Lawson’s Deep Editing: The EDITS System lecture packet.

In the mindset of the Flylady, my overarching plan is to add more goals each week…baby steps and the rebuilding of habits.

Do you have a new goal or resolution for 2013?

Oops…Where’d the Week Go?

Sorry for the unexpected blog hiatus. I thought I had posts scheduled for the week. Senior moment, I guess.

Are you ready for a new year to start?

I sure am.

It’s not that this last year has been particularly bad. I feel like it’s going out with a whimper on my part. I certainly didn’t accomplish as much as I’d hoped. Probably a lack of stick-to-it-ness on my part.

In the midst of family visiting, the wee beasties playing more video games than probably healthy, catching up on my reading, and car shopping I’ve realized I need to get back into ROW80. Yes, the visiting blogs can take a lot of time but I usually learn something and I love giving support to others. I’ve been horribly lax about blog visiting, even my reading through Google reader has been down since the EDJ, and I need to get back on that horse. Mostly, ROW80 keeps me more accountable on the writing end of things than my trying to wing it on my own.

Round One of 2013 starts on January 7th…and I’m in.

My goals for this last week were to:

1. Continue with my Flylady routines, adding a new job each day. — Mostly a success.
2. Spend an hour each day working on writing in some form or other. — Snicker. I did Morning Pages two days, I think.
3. Social Media and blog reading/commenting — Sadly, not even a blip on my radar.

I’ll aim for the same goals for this week, with a focus on that third one. Oy. I really must get back in that saddle.

To Maria and Angela and Melanie and Julie and Nicole for your amazing blog support this last month despite my failure to reciprocate — I appreciate you beyond words! To Joely for keeping me going with your D&E emails — Thank you!

What are you looking forward to in the New Year?

Post Apocalypse Sunday Summary

Still here?

The poles didn’t shift. The mother ship didn’t arrive. The meteor shower failed to break the Earth into itty bitty pieces.

Good.

My goals for this last week were to:

1. Continue with my Flylady routines, adding a new job each day. — I’m happily calling this a success.
2. Spend an hour each day working on writing in some form or other. — This came in as a 50/50. I opened my file all but two days but I don’t have anything to show for it. I did, however, do my Morning Pages all but one day where I wrote for at least a half hour. So progress.
3. Social Media and blog reading/commenting — I had good intentions. Really.

This week, of course, is Christmas week. Apparently, my brother and sister-in-law are coming up. Thus, I’m just going to continue with the same goals.

I’m wishing all of you who celebrate Christmas a very, very Happy Christmas!

Baby Step ~ Sunday Summary

I’ve been a slug. Not writing. Not visiting blogs. Not being very active on the whole.

Oh sure, I can say I’ve been slammed at work. True. That my work schedule is all over the place thus hard to develop a routine. Also true. I can even say that the ol’ home life is crazy. But when isn’t it? A husband, Seven scouring mice, Six crazy schedules, Five gold rings (I’m sure I could find if I tried really hard), Four boys making their lists, Three large rodents (two guinea pigs and a rabbit), two turtles, and a Beastie Girl…it almost sounds like the 12 Days of Christmas, LOL

I woke up Wednesday with “this has to change” running through my mind. Then I saw this: Fake It Until You Make It. Yep. Needed that kick in the pants. Even my own post on Thursday, Seven of Water, talked about saying ‘no’ to the good, in order to say ‘yes’ to the great. Yep. Needed that kick in the pants, too.

Time to get back to basics.

Wednesday, I forced myself to do my Flylady routines, something I’d let slide when I took the job and realized just how crazy my schedule would be. I even had a short Twitter conversation…shocking, I know. I even did some decking of the halls. It’s still not up to the usual level of decorating but at least we’re looking a bit more like Christmas around here.

Thursday, I did my Flylady routines, made sure I drank some water, and I OPENED a file. Got sidetracked working on said file but at least I opened it!

Friday, I did my Flylady routines, drank more water without it being a struggle, and did some baking.

Saturday, I was a slug again though I did do my Flylady routines and some reading.

And it feels great to actually do something. Baby steps. I need to be accountable again.

My goals this week:

1. Continue with the Flylady routines, adding jobs each day
2. Spend an hour each day working on writing, I have to open a file and do something even if it’s just re-reading what I have
3. If I get the daily writing done, spend an hour visiting blogs and/or social media

How do you pick up the pieces?

Sunday Summary

It’s been a busy week of learning new things!

I made it for D&E Morning Pages three of the last seven. No new writing or, more importantly at this point, revisions and re-writes. With the new job, and scheduled hours all over the map, there isn’t a guarantee of Dark & Early writing time. Just as there isn’t a guarantee of Late & Dark writing time. So fitting writing time, as least consistent writing time, is a challenge I have yet to master.

And there were days I didn’t even turn on the computer to check emails! I’m afraid to open Google Reader and Triberr, LOL. There just hasn’t been the time to read, much less respond, to blogs. I feel bad about that, even as I know y’all understand the crazy that is life. I’ve driven by Facebook and Twitter a couple times

Thus, I’m still on the fence about ROW80. On one hand, I’m positive it would help me get back in the swing of things. On the other hand, I don’t feel I have the energy.

My goal for this coming week is simply to write for 30 minutes every single day.

On the up side, I think Beastie Girl will be a princess (though I’m not sure about that hat!) for Halloween Work is having a contest for best pet costume. I’ll have to come up with something for myself…can’t remember the last time I dressed up for Halloween, LOL.

Do you dress up for Halloween? What will you be wearing this year?

‘Twas the Night Before School

Two of the wee beasties from a year or two ago, and proof of the gingers in my house.

The wee beasties are back to school in the morning.

Aw…sweet silence. I can’t wait. And if the impatient packing and unpacking of backpacks is any indication…the wee beasties are just as ready as I am for that bus to pull up

• I booted one of the beta stories out the door and, hopefully, the second will be off later today.
• I was also over on Maria’s Back to Basics blog this week with an Indoor “Sand” Box, wee beastie approved of course, I would never steer you wrong.
• Sadly, Google Reader overwhelmed me and I cleared it Friday. Same with Triberr. It’s the start of a new week, no point in adding more stress by trying to catch up, and I will get back to visiting. This week’s goal — read and comment on five blogs, update Twitter and Facebook at least once, and update Goodreads.

Fun Fact: Today is Women’s Equality Day. It’s one of those dates I knew happened in August but never remember the exact day. This year’s reminder came in the form of an ad from a local eatery offering a free margarita to the ladies…hmmm, wonder if I can talk That Man into a date night. Maybe if I wear my smexy new red heels?