Articles in the WRA's Special Series Category

These weeks leading up to Christmas seem to always devolve into chaos. Have you been struggling to keep your life and work in balance? With the mayhem around me growing increasingly frustrating I dug back through my archives for a piece I remembered writing in March of 2007. We had survived the holiday upheavals, the kids had gone back to school and life was falling back into some semblance of order.

I need to remember how I accomplished that. How did I keep my mother-writer aspects from overpowering me? I’m sure many of you, even those who aren’t mothers (Hey writer-dads!) or parents are feeling the strain as they try to co-ordinate their work, their family, and their social lives. So, the wisdom of nearly three years comes to surface again.

Are you a Writer-Dad? I’d love to share a male perspective of the work-from-home challenge. Please share your comment or consider contributing your own post to WRA.

As a mother of two and a full-time writer, I understand how challenging it can be to have two very intense careers and try to blend them together. Women are remarkable beings, capable of doing multiple things. They have the ability nurture a sick child and an infant novel at the same time.

When it comes to being a mother, there is more involved than making sure the children don’t drown in the bathtub or burn themselves on a hot stove. Parenting includes house work, entertaining, educating, doctoring, supervision and management, social administration, courier services, dressmaking, hairdressing, sanitation monitoring, nutritional advise and chef… The list could go on and on. Only a mother could possibly understand everything that goes into the day to day living of raising little people.

Writing is an equally busy and time consuming career. As a parent, especially a single mother, it’s impossible to disappear into the study for hours and surface with bags under our eyes, coffee-stained teeth, frazzled hair and a satisfied, although exhausted, smile on our faces. Writing time involves rare snippets between kissing boo-boos, getting kids to school, cooking dinner, and changing diapers.

Being a writer and being a mother require many of the same skills. The most important elements to make a successful mother/writer are imagination, creativity, intuition, patience, and understanding. It’s also vital to have a fantastic sense of self-worth. Without it you will constantly find the family’s slightest needs come before your writing. Understanding the value of what you do and being able to remember why you love it and why it’s worth making sacrifices is vital.

A few tips to remember:

1. Develop a Routine!
   If you have set times dedicated to meals, housework, homework, baths, and bed you are a huge step toward minimal chaos in your home and work life. Routine can go a step further than this and create a greater sense of calm if you also plan your writing times to suit your average day. I schedule a few hours each night, after tucking kids into bed, to write. This is the pen-to-paper (or words-to-screen) writing that involves concentration and focus. Research, planning, listing, plotting, chatting, character development, reviewing, editing, and short pieces can be slotted in at other times during the day but you need to have a set time dedicated to your writing regularly (daily if possible).
2. Be Flexible!
   While you have a routine it’s important to know how to bend the rules a little. Things are going to come up that you hadn’t planned for. You need to be able to bend your routine and schedule to suit. If the school calls up because your daughter is sick you slot a doctor visit into your afternoon and adjust your writing tasks. If your three-year-old got creative while you both cooked lunch together and is covered in flour you need to fit a bath in before you eat. Raising children, without going insane, requires flexibility.
3. Learn to Prioritize!
   Know that some stages need to be completed before others. Make sure writing is one of your high priorities but forgive yourself if you have to take the night off to attend your son’s soccer game (you could schedule that in), or daughter’s dance recital. Understand that changing a dirty diaper has an immediate deadline and your article due tomorrow can wait the few minutes it takes to change the diaper. Do the projects that are most important first and don’t leave things to the last minute.
4. Keep Lists!
   Shopping lists, project lists, idea lists, activity lists, school friends’ names, books borrowed from the library, actions to take for this or that article, character traits from your current novel, markets, budgets… The list of lists can be fairly endless but they are a great way to stay present with every aspect of your life. As a mother you’re going to be in multiple places at once in your mind. It creates a jumble to your memory functions. Lists help us keep information near to hand and jotting a list helps us remember.
5. Love what you do!
   Whatever it is you’re doing at any given moment, LOVE doing it! It’s the only way to stay sane when you have to shift from task to task. Remember that everything you do serves an important purpose. Spending time with your children and your home reinforces a sacred bond and keeps you connected with the most important aspects of life. Every moment is precious, and no matter what you are doing, love being alive in that moment and know that every step is toward a brighter future.

The final thing to remember is to ‘communicate‘. Tell your loved ones what you need from them. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Share yourself, your dreams and ambitions, cry on a friend’s shoulder when it gets hard, leave the kids with a baby-sitter and go out for a night on the town with your girlfriends, give your heart and mind to others with commitment and honesty. Tell yourself, others and the universe what it is you want with confidence. When you do, you’ll find the world acting to accommodate you.

Being a writer and a parent is not impossible. You will learn more tips and tricks as you do it day to day. You will come to understand what works for you and what doesn’t. Try everything and learn to adapt to the needs of your unique family.

It’s challenging but also very exciting. You gain so much from sharing your life with children and with writing. You can touch the world, change people, create life and inspire others and truly love yourself doing it. Smile, stand up tall and proud, and truly realize how amazing and incredible you are. Live it, love it, and write about it.

Originally published on Writing.Com. Reprinted for Write-From-Home and Helium.

What tips can you share about how you keep the your writing life in balance with your other hats?

“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.”–Maya Angelou

In the first post in this series (Stay Sane While Multitasking–A MJSS Diagnosis), we talked about Multi-Job Stress Syndrome and why freelancers are prone to this disease.
I promised to follow-up with some natural, Zen solutions for coping with having to multitask as freelance writers and so… here we go!

Natural, Zen Remedies for MJSS:

• Herbal tea – a cup of hot herbal tea enjoyed while sitting outside on the front porch or deck can do wonders for your mind, body, and soul. Not only do herbal teas have medicinal benefits, it is truly relaxing to simply “zone out” for a few minutes as you sip a hot cup of bliss.
• Exercise – Prying yourself away from the computer long enough to get some fresh air and stretch and exercise your muscles is not only good for your body, it’s fabulous for your mind! Once you get those endorphins going, you’ll feel more mentally alert and will find inspiration and passion abounds. I’m amazed at how yoga has changed my freelance life. I feel more inspired than ever and am writing much more prolifically.  (Yoga Is Yummy is one of my favorite go-to yoga sites – especially for beginners.)
• Sleep – If we don’t get adequate sleep we can’t function properly. Life is chaotic enough – we don’t need to be starting each day like zombies. That will only aggravate MJSS and make our lives harder. I realize there are times when we’re on deadline and have no choice but to pull an all-nighter, or we have to drag ourselves out of bed to write down those out-of-this-world ideas that keep nagging us and won’t let us sleep, but the majority of the time we can make sleep a priority – and we should.
• Raw foods and juices – Of course, most of you know me as Raw Juice Girl. I love fresh, raw juices and, foods and have juice fasted extensively (52 days is the longest fasting journey I’ve experienced so far). You don’t have to juice fast to enjoy the health benefits of raw juices, though. Make yourself a fresh juice and incorporate more raw foods to your diet each day and make note of the changes you feel in your body and mind. Energy levels begin to rise, mental clarity and focus is enhanced – even eyesight has improved for some people. (Visit Healing With (Raw) Juices to learn more about raw food, juices, smoothies, and their healing benefits.) Living foods can make all the difference!
• Don’t forget to eat! – As multitasking freelancers with a gazillion things to do every day, we can sometimes go hours – or days! – without proper nutrition. Don’t starve your body. When you starve your body, you’re starving your mind and your creativity and putting your business – and your health! – in jeopardy. Make eating a priority. Make yourself a priority!
• Outsource or Barter – Have you been trying to manage your website(s)/blog(s) yourself but don’t really know what you’re doing? Are you lost in all the e-mails, phone calls, marketing, and paperwork? Have you considered hiring a Web Tech and/or Virtual Assistant to take care of the tasks you don’t have time for, or don’t enjoy doing? If your freelance business can’t afford one or both of these professionals I’ve mentioned, have you considered bartering? Trade the service you provide to them for the services they’ll provide for you! Just get it all in writing and be clear that all parties are completely understanding of the exchange of services – then you’ll have more time to do what you truly love each day!

Stay tuned… In the next post, I’ll share with you specific herbs (both teas and capsule form) that help relieve stress.

Did you enjoy this article? Feel free to visit the other articles Michele has written for The Writer’s Round-About–or contact her to write for you.

Do you have other natural ways to combat stress while dealing with MJSS? What have I forgotten? Do you have anything to add? Fill us in – share your natural solutions!

Photo Credit: by Gare and Kitty

How to Stay Sane While Multitasking—And Coping With MJSS

Ever feel like pulling your hair out like that gal in the photo? I can totally relate!

As freelancers, we suffer from MJSS “Multi-Job Stress Syndrome” – that’s right, our number one job is to multitask. We don’t have the option of clocking in at 9 a.m. and leaving our work in an office as we shut the light off, letting it sit on our desk as we close the door behind us and go home at 5 p.m. I’m not saying those who work 9-5 have an easy life – their lives are stressful and they have to go home to families, laundry, dishes, and the chaos this world brings as well.

Rewind!

Wait. I have to correct myself. There are freelancers who do keep 9-5 hours but from what I’ve experienced and witnessed, most of us are right the opposite. And, besides, most freelancers’ offices are on-site, in their homes or at best, in a guest cottage that’s on their property. ß Lucky them!

What I’m saying is that we literally live our jobs 24/7: We always have e-mail, we always have assignments, we always have ideas sitting in files, and we’re always juggling different projects and activities. Sometimes we can feel like we’re losing our sanity as it piles up and seems overwhelming—like the dirty dishes and laundry that’s always building and calling, that we hate to pull ourselves away from our work to tend to. But it never goes away. It only increases and if we don’t wade through it each day, continually, it becomes too much to fathom sorting through.

That’s what I’m talking about. Freelance work is a never-ending task. As long as we’re freelancers, we’re always going to be pulled a million different directions and, honestly, it can wear us down, affect our immune systems and, obviously, test our sanity until we’re a little more than frazzled and feel like pulling our hair out some days.

Jobs of a Freelancer

If you aren’t familiar with what freelancers face day in and day out, here’s a run-down:

• All Clerical (answering the phone, creating and maintaining a filing system, all paperwork, etc.)
• Accounting
• Marketing
• Web tech/learning technical areas (if we opt to save $$$ by building/maintaining websites/blogs ourselves, instead of outsourcing)
• Querying
• Researching
• Answering emails
• Designing/printing business cards
• Designing/printing brochures or fliers
• Setting up at festivals or events
• Organizing
• Scheduling
• And much more….

Reality of a Freelancer

Unless you can find it in your budget to hire a Virtual Assistant or in-house Assistant, you’re the proud owner of all of above jobs. Crazy, isn’t it. Oh, and I forgot to mention that on top of all those duties, you get to write (or design) or whatever it is you’re doing as a freelancer. Fun, huh?

Can you see how madness can ensue and chaos can overtake your very sanity?

Now that we’ve diagnosed our illness, we’ll discuss — and learn to recognize — the symptoms of MJSS and how to maintain our sanity and overall health as we trudge through the madness freelancing brings to our lives. I’ll be sharing natural, Zen ways to find peace amidst the freelance chaos!

Did you enjoy this article? Feel free to visit the other articles Michele has written for The Writer’s Round-About–or contact her to write for you.

What do you think? Are you losing your sanity while trying to multitask? Do you breeze right through multitasking without even losing your breath? Is it easy for you/hard for you? Did I leave anything out? Do you have any chaotic memories to share? Do tell!

Photo Credit: Leeni

Putting the focus back into writing has been fun to write thus far.  If you are just tuning in to this series, be sure to check out Finding Time, Obliterating Distractions, Creating Ideas, and Understanding your Responsibilities.

Today, let’s look at streamlining organization to round out this series.

As a writer and business owner, it is important to maintain accurate records that will assist you during your tax time and beyond.  Through the years, I’ve discovered a few items that are vital to my ability to maintain organization.

• Filing cabinet and folders
• Printer
• Check register
• Dry-erase boards
• 3″ notebook

Keeping information together and readily available will help in many ways outside of tax season.  There are many times throughout your life when financial information becomes necessary including purchasing a car or house.  Knowing that your records are up to date and accurate will speed the loan process along.

As you set up your filing cabinet, you will discover what works best for your business needs.  The standard sections I’ve found include:

• Accounting
  • Finances Incoming
  • Finances Outgoing
  • Invoices
  • Receipts
• Articles
  • Printed copies
  • Contracts
  • Source information
  • Copies of interviews

I’ve also incorporated a business check payment and deposit register with my filing system.  I maintain two registers, one for finances incoming and one for finances outgoing.  Keeping that information separate has not only allowed me to find where my greatest expenses are, but where I make the greatest income.  My tax preparer loves having all of the information already divided, too. The less time she spends preparing my taxes, the less I pay in the end.

A quality printer comes in handy when printing articles.  Every article I sell is printed in duplicate.  One copy goes into a file folder and the second goes into my portfolio.  In this digital age, I’ve still needed to carry a physical portfolio for on-site interviews.  I utilize a 3″ binder, decorated to match my personality, with sheet protectors for each article and include when and where the piece was published.  I maintain the rule to only keep current pieces, those written and published within the last two years, available.  Just as we grow as individuals with each passing year, our writing also improves.  Showcasing the best of the best only seems logical.

The most important item I utilize for my organization are dry-erase boards.  I maintain a calendar of the month as well as two larger boards.  On the calendar, I keep track of all appointments my family has scheduled and include interviews I have.  Combining the two ensures that I won’t 1. overbook my time and 2. don’t forget key events.  I reference my dry-erase calendar multiple times a day when scheduling.

On my larger dry-erase boards, I keep one for deadlines.  Listed by date is the projected title, word count, and editor’s information.  One the second board, I use it to maintain blog ideas for the various blogs I write.  While the two intersect at some points, forgetting a great idea becomes a null point when using the two boards in conjunction.

Looking outside the box for organization offers incredible ways to maximize space and save time.  Once you have an organization system streamlined, cutting the time you spend maintaining your records occurs naturally and offers more time to FOCUS on writing.

What systems have you found to streamline your organization?

To refresh, we’ve discussed Finding Time, Obliterating Distractions and Creating Ideas thus far in F-O-C-U-S on Writing.  In this segment, we discuss understanding your responsibilities as a writer.

While we would all love to just sit down and write what we love and be paid, there is more that goes into running a business as a writer.  All the muck boils down to responsibility. As with any business, there are key factors in determining one’s success.  For writers, verifying facts, marketing, continuing eduction and continued follow-up are not only necessary, they’re vital!

I sent off a 2000 word article to a regional parenting magazine, utilizing quotes from a therapist throughout.  Once I completed the article, I emailed it to the therapist I quoted for her to double check the information she provided, assuring that the statements were not only correct, but maintained proper context in the piece.  Through conversations with the editor, she needed necessary information to ensure that the information was factual.  Without hesitating, I was able to offer up the therapists name, email address and a copy of our conversation that was held via yahoo messenger.  That information and the editor’s ability to double check the information quoted made the difference between a paycheck and the article being cast aside.

For all writers who utilize quotes in pieces they create, maintaining accurate and updated information on facts and their sources is necessary.  If you resell a piece to a different magazine, the editor might take you at your word, but there will always be the ones who need to verify information prior to running the piece.  With every article that has sources cited, either through research or interview, keep a separate folder with email address, phone number, physical address as well as copies of electronic communication.  Down the road, there won’t be any problems offering that same information to another editor should you resell.

In the age of web 2.0, marketing is around everywhere you surf.  Marketing yourself as a guest or collaborative blogger, partaking in various social networking sites such as facebook, twitter, plurk and maintaining an interactive website of your own are all elements of web 2.0.  For every writer, establishing yourself and offering not only links to work you’ve done, but sharing information about who you are is a fabulous way to receive recognition.  The question many ask when considering personal information on the Internet is, “How much is too much?”  Every person has their own views and that is up to your digression.

Continuing your education as a writer doesn’t necessarily mean spending many hours at the local college taking courses.  If you have the time to take a refresher course on grammar, go for it.  Outside of collegiate courses, reading books, going to seminars and researching various aspects associated with writing all add to your ability to write more effectively.  Writing effectively and efficiently is one responsibility no writer should veer from.

Continued follow-up with agents, publishers, editors and fellow writers is another responsibility we mustn’t forget.  As we all know, life can become crazy.  It’s no different for people who hold high positions in the writing field.  If you’ve mailed off a manuscript to an agent per their request or an article to an editor and haven’t heard from them in a while, it’s a good idea to sent a card, letter or make a phone call to touch base.  Knowing where key people stand in correlation to your work will help you to receive a continued stream of income.

What other responsibilities do you find in your day to day work as a writer?

Coming up is the final installment of F-O-C-U-S on Writing, Streamline Organization.

To recap Focus on Writing thus far, we have discussed Finding Time and Obliterating Distractions.  In segment three, we will examine influences and inspirational tools to create ideas, to write.

For every writer, creating ideas can often lead to brainstorming blockages.  When creativity stops flowing, writing becomes one of the most challenging aspects of a freelancer’s job.  By adjusting how we look at the world and utilizing tools available, generating ideas becomes a natural part of the daily process.  Simulating the senses is key.

As a writer, I reach for very specific tools to increase creativity: books, movies, music, nature and people.

Books offer an entirely new world from cover to cover.  When I read fictional books, I’m carried away into a different land – forced to experience new emotions and visuals – all in my mind.  I have picked up many books in my life that were less than desirable reads, but quickly learned to continue reading the story instead of closing the cover and reaching for another.  By looking at the book as a learning tool, I’m able to see the author’s means of constructing sentences, images and emotions.  Often times I will come across a word that I don’t know and stop long enough to discover the meaning.

Movies are similar to books in whisking you away to another time and place.  Watching actors and actresses convey emotion in their faces offers a new description for the characters in a story you write.  Taking time to delve completely into any character of your choosing will ignite emotions in yourself that may not have been felt for many years.  Utilizing those emotions to rekindle memories brings a new dimension for ideas.

Music can speak to the soul.  Riffs and melodies carefully construed will send a surge through your body from head to toe.  Carried in that surge are ideas pertaining to the overall feeling a song has offered.  Blasting the radio to 50’s and 60’s music elicits memories of road trips from my childhood.  Descriptive scenes and ideas come flooding with the memories.  Each word that pops into my mind is written down for reference later.

Nature is an amazing source of inspirational ideas.  Walking along a stream, ocean or in the mountains provides a completely new dimension and experience for your mind.  Breaking away from the monotony of life is a means to break any blockages or lack of inspiration you might feel.  With any trip outside your home, carrying a pen and paper or digital recorder is necessary to jot ideas as they come.

People watching is an incredible art.  Sitting in a crowded coffee shop with conversations all around can’t be beat.  As people interact and their conversations pass through your ears, certain words or phrases can catch you off guard and offer one more opportunity to create.  The young couple in the back discuss their pending trip to Europe, a truck driver a few chairs away talks about the loneliness of the road and the waitress behind the counter shares with coworkers that she’s moving across country to marry her Internet romance…

By observing the world with your senses, you will find that creating ideas comes with ease.  Recognizing and writing everything down becomes the challenge.  Fiction and non-fiction both stem from the world around us.  How are you going to see the world around you?

Where do you find or create ideas for your writing?

In part one of Focus on Writing, we discussed finding time and the importance of scheduling.  In part two of Focus on Writing, we gander at ways to obliterate distractions.

Just as some people are able to sleep through a tornado; others have no qualms with working through noise.  For the rest of us, peace and quiet can mean the difference between completing an assignment or not.

As you take a week to note various issues in your time management, make note of distractions that stop you from finishing the masterpiece you’ve devoted time towards. As obliterating distractions carries on, we will look at some of the common distractions easily found inside the home.

• Phone
• Internet
• Family and Friends
• External Noise
• and Children

Alexander Graham Bell was a wise man when the telephone became a reality.  As a means of communication across the world – and with editors – the telephone is a necessity for your freelance writing business.  The phone becomes an issue, however, when it is used as a procrastination tool.  A short conversation can turn into hours, especially if you have family like mine!

The rules I have for the phone during my “working” hours are:

1. Answer every call that I don’t recognize.
2. Unless the call is from an editor, potential client or an emergency I explain that I am working and ask if there is a good time I can call back.
3. When the call coming through is from family or friends, they have the understanding to call back a second time if it is an emergency, otherwise leave a message and I’ll call back once I’m finished with my tasks at hand.

When the Internet becomes your enemy (you’ve found every application game on Facebook and must respond to every Plurk or Tweet and can’t seem to break the addiction) using those networks as a reward changes the dynamic into a positive reinforcement. It takes time to adjust the Internet from a negative influence in your life into a positive one. Stick with it and if necessary, take the opportunity to disconnect, literally, from the modem. Once you’ve completed one part or one article, connecting yourself back to the ‘net to play becomes exciting and acceptable.

I love my family and friends.  They are important in my life as a support network.  In the early days of working from home, my doorbell would ring and I jumped to see who it was.  Many hours of my day were lost with coffee and conversation.  Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely times when I needed those days, but generally, I would end up working until the wee hours of the morning to play catch-up.  I learned that this was one of the most difficult distractions to overcome. I broke down and talked to my friends and family. I asked that they call before visiting and as I explained why, they most often obliged.

Should you not be fortunate enough to sound proof your home from external noise, combat the distracting noises with a purposeful noise. Playing a radio or CD can help keep you focus on the writing task at hand. If you can’t tolerate rock or country music, a music selection in those genres will prove counter productive, however, if you find classical music invigorating and inspirational, increasing your selection of Bach, Tchaikovsky or Mozart is wise.

Children are blessing like no other, however quite the distraction on a good day, let alone one filled with more challenges.  I learned during the time I spent as a single Mom that I had to rely on my network for help.  Arranging for a friend or family member to take my son out to lunch saved my sanity.  While I didn’t expect to receive such a warm welcome, working from home and all, I was quite pleased with the end result.  Sometimes people who cause the greatest distractions in our world can become the biggest asset, especially where parenting is concerned.

Now that we’ve found the time we need and have removed those pesky distractions, it’s time to Create Ideas – and write.  Stay tuned for part three of Focus on Writing.

Working from home carries unique challenges.  Having worked outside my home for many years, I looked at my time spent in my space as enjoyable, carefree and relaxed.  As I transitioned into working at home, I struggled with focus.  As I progressed through various ups and downs in life, I discovered just how important focus was for my family, my writing career and me.

Knowing the challenges faced in a freelance market, I welcome you to the first of a five-part series to help you put the F.O.C.U.S back into your writing.

1. Finding Time
2. Obliterate Distractions
3. Create Ideas
4. Understanding Your Responsibilities
5. Streamline Organization

Finding Time

I remember the first time I ran my own business at home.  I thought to myself, “I’ve got the good life.  I can sleep in, work until I’m tired, maintain my home and even schedule all the lunch dates I could imagine with my friends.”  I felt that way until I realized I didn’t even have time to shower, let alone have the pleasurable company of my friends.  The problem wasn’t the number of hours in the day, but the time I spent wasting.

Scheduling:

Take a week out of your month and track all the time you spend doing each activity your life requires.  At the end of the week, look for patterns of idle time, impromptu excursions that steal hours of the day and activities that can be combined, allowing for multitasking.

For me, I noted that my freshest time of the day was often spent playing games, checking forums, emails, and socializing.  I also found that I would attempt to write late at night after everyone had gone to bed, but was too exhausted to think clearly or write effectively.  I discovered many more issues in my ineffective time management that I was able to change.

When I finished evaluating the time I wasted, I found that I needed to flip certain activities to maximize my skills.  I determined that by waking an hour earlier and having coffee, showering and dressing; my senses came alive and my mind was stimulated.  It was easier to sit down at the end of that first hour of the day and write until I was completely submerged in my second hat of Mom.

I became quite obsessed with to-do lists.  By sitting down at night and writing a comprehensive list of all the activities, appointments and deadlines ahead, I was able to sleep better and found myself even more ready to get to business the moment I sat at my desk.  My to-do lists cover everything for our home and work:

Household Chores

• Laundry
• Vacuuming
• Which room received it’s weekly scrub
• Appointments/Functions
• Clients
• Doctors
• School related
• Parties/Family functions
• Celebrations such as birthdays and anniversaries

Meals for the Day

• Meats that need to be thawed
• Any missing groceries for meals
• Special instructions

Business/Writing

• Blog posts
• Marketing
• Articles/Ghost-writing
• Queries/Job searching

By spending twenty minutes each night working out a comprehensive list, I knew exactly what the day ahead held and how to budget my time accordingly.  I also found by using calendars and dry erase boards that I could take a glance at the month(s) ahead and plan for correlating photography as needed.

I spent one week of my life recording all of the usual habits I took in my not-so-business-minded ways and found around three hours a day of wasted time that, when channeled correctly, allowed me to continue to write and keep from finding a job outside of my home.

As we progress through this series, stay tuned for the next segment in Focus on Writing with Obliterating Distractions.

“Never leave the site of a goal without taking some action towards it’s attainment.” ~ Tony Robbins

The next step when it comes to setting goals is to devise your action plan. These goals look pretty on paper but without taking firm steps toward their accomplishment they may linger in good intentions. Start by posting your nine primary goals in a place where you can see and review them every day. Now, for each of these goals write down two actions you can take within the next 24 hours that will move you closer to these goals. Repeat this step every morning.

“Fundamentals need to be practiced daily.” ~ Tony Robbins

Your action steps should be small and measured. If you dream of touring the world in a class one private jet the first step isn’t to board the plane. You’ll need to gather travel brochures, look up costs, budget your finances, talk to a travel agent, discuss the idea with family. There are many small steps you can take toward accomplishing your goal and by surrounding yourself with the images and actions that take you closer to this goal you reinforce it’s importance in your life, you reinforce your belief that it can, with steady forward momentum, be accomplished.

“With Goals we create the future in advance. We create our destiny. We shape our life.” ~ Tony Robbins

Each day, read over your goals and remember why they are important to you. Take action on those goals so that you are always moving toward them. If you feel yourself waving sit down and practice The Rocking Chair Method again.

“You become a creator when you write down goals and become absolutely clear on why you want them. The WHY behind your goals is their real power.” ~ Tony Robbins

Each month you may like to examine your goals again. Are these goals still important to you? Do you have new desires you would like to add to your list or have other goals moved ahead in priority? It is important to review and revise your goals as this will keep you motivated and on track to those things you truly want and deserve. The person you are today will not be the person you are tomorrow and your needs will change. Reflect on those changes and allow them into your life by adjusting your goals and direction to match.

“With the ability to desire a goal comes the ability to achieve it.” ~ Tony Robbins

What will you do today to take action toward your goals?

“Purpose is stronger than outcome.” ~ Tony Robbins

Now, it’s time to take your three lists of goals. First, look at the “Personal Development Goals“. Of the ones you would like to accomplish within the coming year which inspires and motivates you the most. What leaps out of the page yelling, “Pick me! Pick me!!!”

Select your three primary Personal Development Goals, adding a star next to them on your page. These are your top priority goals; the areas you most desire change; the goals that motivate you to the greatest degree.

On a fresh page write the first goal in bold print. Immerse yourself in that goal and delve into what makes that goal important to you. Write a paragraph or two about why that goal is vital to your happiness. Why are you absolutely committed to this goal. Why are you motivated to take action on this goal? What will it mean in your life? Write how accomplishing that goal will make you feel and the difference it will create in your life. Write about that goals influence on you as a person and why it is absolutely a must-have goal for you. Why does this goal motivate you?

Repeat this process for your three Personal Development Goals and then again for your Things Goals and your Economic Goals.

The Rocking Chair Experiment!

When you are writing focus on your emotional connection to gain leverage. Let yourself experience the emotions attached to these goals. Imagine yourself in your elderly years, sitting in your rocking chair, reflecting on the life you’ve lived. Let your mind wander over your goals then take the journey with your emotions.

Imagine that you’re in your old age having never accomplished one of these goals. Examine how you feel knowing that the goal is out of reach. Feel that sense of emptiness and waste, regret and failure. Allow yourself to feel the pain associated with not accomplishing the goal. Does it hurt? Consider all you may have missed out on in life, the directions and options denied to you. If you can shrug your shoulders and feel only a bare tingle of regret then you should cast aside the goal and choose another, or return your focus to your motivation and your reasons for accomplishing this goal. You need to feel a desperate need for these goals because that desire, that yearning and the pain associated with not getting the goal will push you through to its achievement.

Once you’ve discovered the depths of pain associated with not accomplishing that goal bring yourself back to that aged person, sitting in his or her rocking chair nearing the end of life. This time, reflect on the life you’ve lead as if you accomplished the goal. How has accomplishing this goal enriched your life? What options opened up to you? What opportunity to rejoice did it bring? How do you feel knowing you’ve accomplished this goal? Are you excited, empowered, filled with love and thrilled with joy?

The pleasure and the pain associated with your goals are a motivational force that will help you stay focused on their accomplishment. You can repeat this exercise whenever you feel yourself struggling to remember why you want to make these things happen in your life. Review your reasons, add to them, and remind yourself exactly why you set out on these goals to begin with.

“The purpose of goals is not so you get things, the real reason to set goals is what they will make you as a person.” ~ Tony Robbins

Would you like to share one or two of your Top Three’s? Why do they top your timeline? What are your motivations? What benefits do you think will come from having what you’re setting out to achieve?