My 2013 Goals

Stuck in the back of my desk drawer, I found a journal I started in 2011. I’ve always kept a journal, though I didn’t always write every day in it, and this one reflects that. This journal was started on January 1, 2011 and it actually ended on April 17, 2012. It was interesting to look back at what I was thinking and read about what was going on in my life. The really interesting thing was on January 1 of both years, I had written my goals for that year—2011’s goals were long, but 2012’s were shorter. There were similarities in the goals and differences. And there were a few goals I had totally forgotten about. And as always there were some goals I succeeded at and others that I failed miserable to do.

So what do I want to accomplish in 2013?

Complete and publish at least three books.                                                                              
This is going to tie in with the next goal, but I really want to try to write and publish three books this year. I think it’s doable. Summer will really help with this, because school’s out for the summer, so I have a lot more free time to write. I’ve got one week left before I have to go back to school in January and I’ve already started writing a new book about two days ago and I’m already got 6000 words on paper. I must be crazy, but I want to see how close I can get to finishing the first draft before I have to go back to school.



Write faster and more efficiently.                                                                                        
I’ve have increased my writing. Right now, I’m averaging between 500 – 1000 words a day. During the week days my writing tends to be closer to the 500 mark because I work full-time as a junior high school teacher so when I say “go back to school” I mean I have to go back to work.             

A typical school day for me is to get up around 5:00 a.m., feed the kitties (If I don’t get up when the alarm goes off, they do things to get me up.), get a cup of coffee or two (I’m the only one who drinks coffee in my house.) try to eat something for breakfast (I’m not much of a morning person, so often my breakfast goes with me to school and ends up as a snack between classes.), teach until lunch, eat lunch (I typically eat in my room so I can work on whatever needs to be done whether it’s personal writing or school lessons. The kids also know they can come in and work on homework, read, or just talk.), teach until end of school, go home, fed the kitties (They’re at the door waiting for me.), fix supper, clean up, talk with hubby and son, maybe watch a TV show or watch at it, do laundry if needed, work on writing stuff, and go to bed sometime around midnight.

I want to start writing closer to 1000 words or more daily and to have it to be cleaner, more error free. I know, I know…practice, practice, and more practice. Right? :)


Continue outlining ideas.
With an outlined idea/book, even if I don’t immediately start writing it, I’ve got the story down and can go back and work on it when if finish the current project. My problem is I have too many ideas floating around my head. If I don’t get them down and organized, I sometimes lose them as other ideas float in.  When I was reading my goals from 2011, I wrote about outlining a story about Red based on the Little Red Riding Hood tale. I can’t find any notes anywhere about the idea, and the memory of the idea? POOF! Have no clue. I’m hoping I’ll come across something in a notebook. I keep idea notebooks, but so far haven’t seen anything about Red yet. Fingers crossed.


Work on promoting myself.  
This is something I’m still really clueless about. I’m learning, and I know learning sometimes takes time. I’ve done some interviews, giveaways, and quest posts, as well as have had a few reviews. Obviously, I blog and Twitter. If you have any ideas or thoughts, let me know. I need all the help I can get. 


Come up with some interesting blog topics.
I want my blog to be interesting, and not just interesting to me. I hope I’ve done that with some of my topics have been interesting to you. I’m always open to ideas too. 


 Get my website updated and keep it that way.
 I really do a much better job keeping up my blog, and I need to focus some of my energy on my website. It’s one of those things that I just need to sit down and do.


Get my office cleaned and organized.
This has been one of my goals since 2011. The sad part? I have tack boards and other stuff sitting in the middle of the room ready for me to put up, but first I’ve got to clear out the boxes of stuff lining one of the walls. I haven’t gone through the boxes since we moved in and most of them contain old teaching stuff that I’ve used over the years. Key word—OLD teaching stuff. I’ve got to start tossing stuff into the trash and the recycling bins. I just keep putting it off. Ridiculous, right?


Take better care of my health.
Over the last seven years I’ve managed to lose over 100 pounds, but I’ve got a lot more to lose. I need to exercise more. I’m working on cutting my portions, and making smart substitutions. Some days are easier than others. And I know there’s no quick fix. It’s making changes and turning those changes into habits. I’ve created a number of good habits over the years, but I’ve also let some slip. I can’t do that anymore. The weight has to come off, and it starts with me. 

I don’t have a long list of goals, but they are, at least I think so, pretty big goals. They are all doable. I just have to set my mind to achieving them.