Thursday, March 3, 2016

Insecure Writer's Support Group: AAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrghh!

Internet is still down, but I have a quiet moment at work, so the race against time to finish this post is on.

For those of you who are very VERY new to the writing bloggosphere, the Insecure Writer's Support Group gets together on the first Wednesday of every month to share our doubts, fears, insecurities and encouragement with each other. For more detail and to sign up, click here.


Time is still the biggest cause for insecurity for me. I have so much to do, and yes, I know that I gave myself a ton of this stuff in the first place. But the fact that it's a lot of stuff doesn't mean that I didn't have a reason to put so much on my plate in the first place. 

In fact, the opposite is true. My five year project (see the goal statement at the top of this blog) will be half-way through in June. Which means that the most important phase, where I should be most productive when it comes to setting up my career, is right now. 

Simply put, I can't afford to let up or pull back. But my life is consistently eating into my productive time, which means that I have less time than before in which I need to get more done. 

I have no idea about how I'm going to do that. 

So I'm going to do the only thing I can, and that's to keep checking off everything I can do in my available time and see how far that gets me for the next few months. 

How are you doing? 

33 comments:

  1. As the Twelve Steppers say, "One day at a time!"
    My name is Sean and I'm a writeaholic.

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  2. Having no Internet should help - at least it won't distract you. Just do what you can without exhausting yourself.

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  3. Have to do what you can do and keep on keepin on.

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  4. Perhaps when you set your goal, you didn't know how much you would have on your plate with business changes, home moves, and all around trouble you've encountered so far. So you can go a little easy on yourself there. But hey, you're doing pretty darn well considering all of that!

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  5. It's good to have a goal no matter how long it takes to reach it. Slow and steady wins the race :) How's the move going?

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  6. Checking off the things you can in your available time is a good way to stay afloat. Good luck with your goal!

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  7. I'm inspired that you are 2.5 years in. That's dedication, Misha!

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  8. Sounds like you are doing all that you can. Keep checking off the things you can do and eventually the list will lead you to your goals. You'll get there!

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  9. You've set the bar high Misha so you just have to jump high! You can do it!

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  10. Sounds to me like having no Internet might be a blessing. I know it's way too easy to get distracted when I'm struggling to put words to paper.

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  11. Keep doing what you can and trying not to worry about what you can't, seems a good plan. Better to be a little late with your plansthan to shelve them entirely.

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  12. Good luck with writing goals. haha, I should be locked in a room with my laptop and no internet.

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  13. I've had a while with internet issues also. Soooo not fun!! Time is another sad issue for me. I hope you make your goal Misha. Keep on going :)

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  14. Just keep pushing forward and doing what you can. Plus, no internet means no distraction... I need that :)

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  15. It's so hard to get everything done. I've been trying to eliminate time wasters wherever I can, but sometimes I think my biggest problem is I just have too many projects I want to do.

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  16. That's cool! I didn't know they had a place for new writers like that, that's a great idea! Sorry you are so busy and have lots to do though, but things will fall into place!

    Raindrops of Sapphire

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  17. Keep pushing forward. Every little step counts! I'm still playing catch up from the beginning of the year, but I'm getting there.

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  18. You're doing it right. Just keep plugging away and do all you can. But don't be hard on yourself if life gets in the way and you physically can't find enough time to write. That happens to ALL of us all the time. But just because you can't write, doesn't mean you aren't being productive. Thinking about the characters, plot, settings, etc. and planning out what you'll write (when you have time) is just as important. Good luck! :)

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  19. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Sorry, I’m so late in visiting you. Deadlines and goals can be a double-edged sword. They are great for helping you plan and stay focused, but they can also cause stress. Your checklist system seems to be a good way to stay on track and minimize stress. Keep it up. I wish you the best.

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  20. Life always gets in the way, even if you didn't give yourself a lot to do. I find that piling more on my plates helps keep me motivated and pushing forward. Just keep swimming ;-) Good luck!

    www.smpace.com

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  21. Take it easy Misha. Take one day at a time and you will do it all. All the best.

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  22. Having goals are awesome, or we don't really know where we're going until we get there. Of course, sometimes, we have to reevaluate them mid-stride. Nothing wrong with that. It's better to get there one day later than to not get there at all. Best of luck!

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  23. Be careful that you don't let yourself get so wound up and stressed by not being able to do the things you want to do to meet the goals you've set that you're not fully engaging in and enjoying the things you ARE doing. Yes, life may be getting in the way of meeting your goals, but that's... life! And life goes by way too fast, so enjoy whatever it throws at you the best way you can, and have faith that you WILL meet your goals.

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  24. Life does get in the way :)
    Currently we have a family member with a serious medical issue absorbing several hours of my day after work, so I hear ya!

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  25. I'm in the same boat: too much to do, too little time. Which is why I'm commenting on your blog at 5:17 am when I haven't slept yet. Sometimes I don't have time to sleep. Perhaps we should start a support group.

    The one thing that concerns me about your goal is that you can't control it. You can control how many books you publish and how high quality they are, but any number of things can affect your sales. I just want you to feel successful when you achieve your own, internal goals--royalties be damned.

    Hugs. :)

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  26. We're with you on that - too much to do, too little time. All you can do is keep your head up, keep trudging forward, and don't beat yourself up if you don't meet your goals as quickly as you'd like. Better to meet them late than never meet them at all.

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  27. If you can move forward then that is progress, even if it is a little slower than you would like. Ticking things off a list always makes me feel like I am getting somewhere.

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  28. I can so relate. I often wish I had one of Hermione's time turners so I could get more done. As long as you are moving forward, no matter how slowly, that's still progress. I hope things ease up for you soon!

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  29. I feel ya on the time issue...the amount of time I have to work with always seems to be diminishing. Hopefully, it improves for all of us sometime soon:)

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  30. I'm with Karen Walker, Misha, about enjoying the journey. I'm hope you're doing that with the high-jumping goal you've set for yourself. I'm cheering you on!

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  31. Ah! I know EXACTLy what you mean about life getting in the way. It's been a constant struggle for me too. It seems like there's always something, doesn't it?

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  32. Excellent work on your goals!
    And . . . you know what stood out to me is that you read David Copperfield at the age of 10. I did, too. It struck me as one of those remarkable coincidences.
    However, in my case, I made the mistake of telling my mom I had read everything in the children's section of our small town library so she handed me David Copperfield and told me she expected me to read it by the due date and then talk to her about it. So, although I did come to enjoy the book, it was a hard slog of a read for me the first time around. It's much easier to read challenging books when I choose them.
    Best wishes on your writing!

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