At the beginning of 2017 I had joined a group that sets goals for writing everyday. I was hoping that the weekly check ins and the accountability would help keep me on track. Instead it showed in a glaring light the fact that I am constantly busy but rarely writing. As an author that is a problem. I have decided to see how well I do on a significantly smaller scale over the next 46 days. I call it a 40 day challenge because it follows the same time as Lent, the Christian fast, even though I myself am not a practicing Christian.
Unlike Lent which does not include the Sundays I include everyday of the week but start on Wednesday and go through Easter Sunday making it 46 days total. This year I will be giving things up along with incorporating new things (at least thats the plan). I am giving up fast food, pizza and junk food. They are things I rely on far too heavily in my diet and I am sure they contribute to my semi poor health. I also have a tendency to eat my feelings and that is a habit I am determined to break.
Instead I will be replacing the emotional eating with workouts to refocus my energy. The exercise will also help improve my immune system and hopefully get me on track to a healthier lifestyle. The two go hand in hand, better food plus working out. Those things should cause an almost immediate improvement in m overall quality of life. The of thing I am incorporating is an hour of writing every day. It seems like a lot and on some days it will be a tremendous challenge. The thing I need to keep in mind is that as a writer I need to be writing.
There are always things I will want to do but an hour a day will not hurt me and developing the habit can only help push me toward finishing my goals. I know that the more books I have published, the better I can do at shows but I must make sure the books are a product I can be proud of. Part of getting there is spending the hour each day producing and then going over the stories as objectively as possible to make them the kinds of stories people will want to read. They need to be high quality and I am going to be working very hard beginning with this challenge to make sure I put my best effort into writing them.
Part of the challenge for me will be publishing a blog post everyday to help reconnect with an audience I have mostly lost by being silent for so long as well as continue to update on my progress. I would love to hear about any similar challenges or projects my fellow authors and readers are taking part in.
Good luck on your 40 day challenge. I joined the 365 and it has been a challenge to write every day. I have been determined so far to not log any zeros, but we're only 2 months in. I'm sure that will waiver, but I hope not. I too need to eat better and exercise. Writing is a stationary activity so getting up and moving is important.
ReplyDeleteAn hour a day is doable. Too easily we (or at least me) are distracted by life. When I got serious again about my writing back in Sept. I had to set time aside to write. I didn't do it every day, I picked 3 days for 2 hours.
Hope at the end of your 46 days you'll have a nice habit formed.