December, You Sneaky Bastard

I’ve got some interesting news to share, today. Other than it being December, of course. Grab a cup of something warm and settle in. This is kind of a long post.

I’m coming off a 10-day vacation (yay) and go back to work tomorrow (boo). It was a really good vacation, too. We didn’t go anywhere, but we did spend a lot of time together just chillin’ out. I made a big Thanksgiving spread (which we’re still eating), watched Jessica Jones on Netflix, got some Redbox movies and took a lot of naps. By the way…Detroit Lions whooped Philadelphia Eagles ass on Thanksgiving.

I’m sad to see the vacation end, but you know how it is. Back to the grind and onto the interesting news.

This year I co-hosted the WriYe Tumblr blog, something most of you were aware. Back in September or October, one of the mods approached me to help out on the actual site for 2016. Like, the official WriYe forum site. I hemmed and hawed and finally submitted the “application” that the team was requesting from interested people.

Imagine my surprise after not hearing anything for awhile, I get a notification that I’ve been added as a Global Moderator! Next thing I know, I’m signing up to handle 2 forums and adding the Twitter and Facebook accounts to my list. A fair amount of time each week will be dedicated solely to WriYe, on top of the Tumblr, which I agreed to oversee for 2016.

Just like when I do Tumblr, my activity and participation will be done on days off from work. Most of it can actually be done on my phone while at work (during down time, of course) if it doesn’t require a cut/copy/paste situation.

Which leads me to my plans for December…

• 12 Days of Consistency Challenge (write a certain minimum word count each day for 12 consecutive days) – I chose 320.
• New Moon Challenge 12/11
• WriDay 12/15
• Full Moon Madness 12/25 (I already have an idea for this one.)

These are all challenges hosted by WriYe, and they really do get a chunk of that word count goal eaten. Well, they would if I participate(d). I’m also going to…

• Go through the 2016 Writer’s Market and look for contests and publishing opportunities
• Make a list of WIPs and decide which projects to focus on next year.
• Make a list of WIMs (works in mind) and choose a couple worth exploring.
• Update all my social media places
• Write as much as I can.

I’m not going to make any hard deadlines, yet, since each month’s writing plans will have to work around my day job and the schedules don’t come out until after the 17th. Even then it could change, so yeah. Soft deadlines, it is.

Which leads me to my New Year’s Resolutions. Yeah, I’m making them early. This way I can ease into them, instead of going cold turkey balls out on the 1st…

• Eat better and move more
• Sleep better/more
• WRITE MORE
• Be more aware of my body’s signals and slow down when it tells me to
• Get back on my spiritual path
• Go outside more for fun (helps satisfy pretty much all of the above)
• Get more organized
• Donate unused clothes to charity.

I should be able to keep at least 1 of those, right?

What are your writing plans for December?

 

Inside the Mind of a Planner

It occurred to me last week there are people, like me, who can’t live without their planners. If you are one of those people I invite you to comment, share tips/tricks and even (if possible) share a photo of your planner.

For those who don’t understand the obsession that is Planning, this post is for you.

Let me start with the addiction factor. We love lists, to be organized, to be able to cross off something in victory. There is a modicum of OCD. Or, a whole ton of OCD depending on your personal view. And, it’s no coincidence we have a thing for office supplies ; sticky notes, highlighers and pens spanning the rainbow. Everything has a purpose and a place, which brings us back to OCD.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is nothing to a) make light of, or b) be ashamed of. I will tell you this, though. I make light of my OCD all the time. Plus, it doesn’t effect my life in the same ways it does other people (counting, colors, textiles, etc), although it used to. With a change in my life, mine has adapted. I don’t double-check the doors and windows at night to make sure they’re locked. I do still touch all the living things in the house before I go to bed. That’s been going on for years and I don’t expect it to go away. But, I digress.

I also have a touch of ADD. My planner (along with timers, alarms and Google) help keep me focused. You’d be amazed what I can get done in a day if my planner is right beside me.

Why not just use your cell for all your appointments and stuff? Tried it. Didn’t work. I need to physically be able to write things down and cross them off when I’m done. It goes along with the OCD. It’s like with books. Some books I’m good having it on Kindle. Others I have to have a copy in my hands and pages to turn. Still others I make the compromise because the Kindle price was lower and it wasn’t as important.

Sometimes the OCD and ADD have a battle. I’ll make a grocery list and forget it at home. Or, I get so focused on a task, that allotted time bleeds into the next task’s time. Then I get behind and become slightly manic. I do not like leaving something unfinished for the next day.

Then there’s the control aspect. Planning is something I can control. It makes me feel better. There are no guarantees in life, but I’ll be damned if I won’t be organized in the uncertainty. It’s almost needless to say I don’t deal well with a disrupted routine.

Have you considered therapy? Yes, and no. The point is, my planner is my therapy. It’s where I go to sort things out. Literally and figuratively. That doesn’t mean I retreat to it when I’m stressed out. It means I’ve learned to cope and manage stress in a (in my opinion) healthy way. You know how some people clean when they’re upset? Well, there you go. My body knows what’s going on, reports it to my brain and my brain says, “Planner time!” There are a hell of a lot worse things I could do other than plan and organize.

By the way, I’m actually working from 2 planners. Yes, you heard right. I’m still working out of the old one, because that’s where everything was written down. I sit once a week with both and move the stuff I absolutely without a doubt need to get done to the new one.

Which reminders me…My work schedule is going to be different the rest of the month. It’s been 4 on, 3 off the last week weeks. Now I’m looking at 7 on, 6 off starting tomorrow. Should be fun.

Here’s a fun look at planning from Lifehack. Enjoy!