| By Jenn Stark | November 9, 2009 |
As many of you know, November is the month of NaNoWriMo – an all-out effort to write your brains out and complete a first draft of a new novel. While I’m not participating this year – I always seem to be mid-project when November rolls around – I am in an online group in which a number of members are participating, and I’ve been watching with interest the cheers and kudos, encouragement and shared “gritting-it-out” texts that have exploded in my email. At the same time, I have my own high-intensity goal to finish a project by month-end, along with several freelance gigs that have me wondering how I’m going to get everything done. It all got me thinking about how we accomplish our goals.
Whether you’re a writer or a reader, you probably have several projects to complete-efforts as personal as weight loss or giving up an unhealthy habit, or business projects, writing goals, volunteer initiatives or community service campaigns. Our projects can be simple enough to complete in one day–or long-term programs that may take months or even years to complete. But how do we get it all done?
Even in the midst all the large support groups, team cheering sections, circles-of-like-minds, etc., I’m convinced that the true achievers are those who do it (almost) alone. They can borrow from the energy of a large group-or feel compelled to perform because they don’t want to look bad (I absolutely have fallen in this latter category)–but if they don’t actually go off and do the work consistently themselves or if they don’t have a lot of personal passion, no amount of “group-think” in the world is going to get them back on track. There has to be an individual level of focus to achieve that must come from within, to carry you through not only the heady excitement of the “first-day” of a project… but the fifth day, the fifteenth day, and most importantly, the day AFTER you’ve messed the project up in some way.
Today marks the beginning of some new projects for me–including an intriguing health/fitness plan and a work schedule that’s more structured than what I’ve had for the past few years in my freelance business. It also marks the middle of some other high-passion projects, such as the mid-way point for a manuscript I’m looking to complete by the end of November.
Although I used to be a died-in-the-wool DIYer, I’ve found I’ve expanded my approach a bit this time, in these ways:
- I’ve chosen one (or a VERY small group) of like-minded partners (the DI(A)Y approach!) for each project
- I’ve done a ton of research up front from people who’ve successfully completed similar initiatives in the past
- I’ve “cleared the decks” of typical distractions, vs. assuming that I can ignore all of the craziness of my daily life while attempting major change. This deck-clearing is an ongoing challenge, by the way!
- I’m tracking progress more formally (a trick I picked up through research). I’m a tracker by nature when I get really serious about something, but now I’m taking the tracking process to new levels, specifically over the next 2 weeks.
- I’ve set immediate goals (another research-generated learning). I have many projects that are long term, but that’s not the game here. To keep my focus sharp and my passion high, I’m literally looking at the next 14 days. Then, I will do an assessment, and chart the course for the next 14 days–but that’s all in the future. Right now, I’m looking at a 2-week opportunity for success. That’s all I have.
This last one, the short-duration focus, has an added bonus–one that I’ve already seen work in practice, and probably one many NaNoWriMo participants are experiencing as well. Nobody begrudges you a limited-duration goal. If you tell someone you’re giving up eating unhealthily FOR THE REST OF TIME, or that you’ve decided to commit yourself to writing several hours a day FOR EVER AND EVER, you may suddenly find yourself beset with lots of little roadblocks and temptations, most of which are generated by friends/family who don’t really WANT you to change the group dynamic. Change is often threatening, even good change. It’s tempting to turn your back on your unsupportive friends, but the successful DI(A)Yer knows you can’t do anything completely by yourself, unless you’ve got your own show on Discovery Channel. 
Fortunately, there’s a better way. If you tell folks that you’re only doing something for a LIMITED time-say, 1 week, 2 weeks, a month–a lot of that resistance melts away, allowing you to get the support you need until you establish the achievement habits that will work for long-term success. Where “forever” is inconceivable, “2 weeks” is acceptable. Then if whatever you’re doing is working for you, you’ve got the ammunition and confidence you need to keep going. You can then reassess, pull from mentorship materials and research, assemble your “Micro Team” and attack the next stage of your project! It’s the DI(A)Y Way.
What about You??
When you have a major initiative you’d like to undertake, do you go at it completely solo, with the help of several friends or team members, or with a Do It (Almost) Yourself approach? I’m fascinated by all things productivity related today, so any tips or tricks you can share with the group, please feel free!
November 9th, 2009 at 9:44 am
Hi Jenn!
Okay, this limited duration thing just worked for me. I am just off a big deadline. Two weeks before the end, I told my husband that for those two weeks, I needed a wife.
Done laughing? It worked! I told him I was going to be the husband, with all of my focus on work, for 2 weeks. He was going to be the wife, thinking about everybody’s schedule, and feeding, and homework and grocery shopping and cleaning and on and on.
It wasn’t easy. For either of us. Frankly, he needed a lot more direction than I do.
But we made it and I made my deadline and now we are all happily back to normal.
Best of luck with all of your projects and goals!
November 9th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Great blog, Jenn. You are so right about short-term goals. It’s much easier to get started if it’s not forever.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:31 am
Deb, what a great story, and I’m loving how supportive your husband was! Congratulations on making your deadline as well — a double bonus!
Laurie, your comment brought something new to the table–forget getting the support of your friends, getting your OWN buy-in is a lot easier if you’re dealing with a short-term goal. Great add!
Thanks to you both for your comments!
November 9th, 2009 at 10:55 am
First–OH, my are you right about the “limited duration” making changes/projects acceptable to others. I never quite could put my finger on why my husband is so much easier about the smelly kitchen and smelly kids in November, but that makes sense. He knows that in November, most of us will get bathed again.
Secondly, I find that while I don’t work well WITH others (I am a writer and my own boss because, in part, I am simply never in the mood to supervise/be supervised) I work well along-side others. That’s the energy of NaNo: You vomit out your words, then take breaks to go see how other people’s wordvomiting is progressing. It adds a competitive edge, as well: When I see Lani’s added 1K to her count, I think, “I need to sit down and get some writing done.”
Thirdly–and this is the key to NaNo–you train yourself to have NO expectations about your WIP. My personal goal is 100K words this year, though I may actually shoot for 120K.That way, when I go back in March to read this again and cringe at such lovely prose as, “The hero thought thinkingly about the heroine’s bounteous beautiosity” I can cut without feeling that there will be absolutely nothing left. I’m betting on at least 60K.
Break’s over–back to the draft.
November 9th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Jenn:
Getting things done (writing-wise) is a real effort for me. That said, I have some thoughts on this topic. A published friend says she writes down the numerals of the number of pages she wants to complete that day. When she completes page 1, she crosses it out, then page 2, and so on. I imagine this would work with number of words as well. I have recently gotten into the habit of taking my laptop with me everywhere. Yesterday, I wrote at my daughter’s skating birthday party. Oddly, even though I was distracted, this was a good thing because I didn’t obsess over every word–my normal habit. I have also taken my ‘puter to the hairdresser when I’m having color done. Yes, I could shave my head and perhaps gain some writing time that way, but I’ve been told I’d look like an alien so nix on the head shaving. One last thing that I must do is get enough sleep. If I’m tired, mentally or physically, I can’t write. Makes no difference how much I want to do, the energy just isn’t there.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Keri,
As usual, your post made me smile — thank you for sharing your thoughts! I particularly like your concept of working along-side others — you are not depending on them to perform, therefore they can’t directly impact your productivity (or serve as an excuse!) But they are there to keep a light on for you, no matter how late in the eve you are working.
Thanks!
November 9th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Hilda,
Two great points here: one, the idea of making your own opportunities–in your case, writing is always your “go-to” activity, not something you can only do when the opportunity is perfect. Two, I love the reminder that sleep (and self-care) is essential to success. One of my favorite comments by Zig Ziglar is (paraphrased) that “You wouldn’t take a million dollar racehorse and allow it to stay up all night, eating too much, drinking too much, carousing and carrying on when it has a race to get ready for. So why do you do it with a billion dollar body: your own?”
Thanks for your comment!
November 9th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Jenn, this is a great process and I hope it works well for you. When I need something completed I do go no mail and off loops because I think I have Attention Deficit for Writers. I get so excited by good news, or a thoughtful post (like this) and I waste time. So I’ll be curious how the DI(A)Y works for you. It all boils down to time and commitment, doesn’t it
November 9th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Hi Jenn, great post!
A lot of what you said spoke to me. For instance…the wonderful people/friends/family around you don’t usually seem to like change. They don’t mean to hold you back, but they don’t like change for whatever reason, WHICH IS WHY I try not to tell anybody if I’m dieting or if I’m going to write more pages a day, etc. I have been exercising three days a week for a while now. My sister can’t always make it and I used to not go to the gym unless she went. Now I go no matter what! I have already told myself that not going is not an option for me, so in my mind, I don’t think twice about it when she says she won’t be there.
This week I’m going to “try” not to eat sugars and bad carbs, but I haven’t told anyone around me because the moment I do, I feel like I will want the carbs and sugar even more…just because I said it. (I hope I didn’t sabotage myself by telling you.)
Crazy, I know, but it’s just the way it is for me. Same with writing a new book. The moment I tell a family member or friend about the details of my new story…is the same moment i suddenly lose interest in writing that particular story.
So, in answer to your question, I do it alone. It just works for me. I am also learning that the more I add to my list of things to do, the more I get done!?!
Oh…one more tip…don’t put too much pressure on yourself. If you don’t get it all done, then so be it! It’s not the end of the world. You’ll do better next time! Be kind to yourself with your goals.
Good luck with meeting your goals. You can do it!
November 9th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Great post, Jenn. Good luck with your goals!
I’m pretty much a do-it-myselfer, but sometimes I drop in a bit of DI(A)M. I find I’m usually mid-project when NaNo rolls around, too. I’ve only done it once. I enjoyed it, but because of the way I write it didn’t get the book done any faster. In fact, the book wrote slower AFTER those 50K were done, maybe because I had to keep putting it away to work on other projects, maybe because I revealed too much of the story during NaNo and therefore my muse wasn’t as interested…or maybe because it’s the most challenging book I’ve written.
I think the limited time frames would work for my life much better. To commit to a month of nothing else but a writing project…my life is too fractured for that. There are other aspects I need to commit to, too.
November 9th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
Perfect post Jenn as I am starting NaNo a week late! Ugh. Been out of town on business and just got back and getting into the swing of things. So now I have 3 weeks to complete my 4 week goal of cranking out that rough draft. Even though I’m not doing the “official” NaNo I am still feeding off the support of those posting about it on all my loops.
Good luck with your goals this month!
November 9th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Great post, Jenn.
I have discovered the “for a limited time only” ploy works really well. I even told my Mom about the 100K challenge I’m doing, and all she said was, “I’ll ask Beth to bring an extra Pumpkin Pie since you won’t have time to bake.” How’s THAT for progress? (The world used to come to an end if I didn’t make the holiday pies!)
Back to my writing cave. The GH deadline approaches and I’ve miles to go before I sleep…
November 9th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Jenn, love your suggestions.
My contribution: If at all possible, do the most important thing of the day first. Do it first. Do it first. Do it first. Or as Nike used to say, “Just do it.”
What is most important can vary, even day to day, depending on one’s immediate goals and personal blocks (e.g., have a deadline, only have a free hour today, hate exercise, stuck in a scene, etc.). But, for me, if I don’t do what’s most important first, often I don’t do it at all.
That said, wish it was as easy to practice as it is to preach.
Libby
November 9th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Hi Jenn!
I have to keep a positive mind set. I am doing NaNo for the first time and I had to break it down into words per day. It then becomes a daily goal instead of a long monthly goal. I have to take baby steps or it becomes overwhelming for me.
I do like to talk to like minded writers. I like to praise them and get support in return. Just like blogging. I love to get on my friend’s blogs and let them know I care what they are doing and what they are saying. I don’t think anyone can have too much support.
xo
Tonya
November 9th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
Donnell, you are so RIGHT. Time and Commitment, and just keeping at it. I have miles to go before I sleep, but I am feeling actually pretty good right now, which I fear is due to a health-food concoction I just inhaled. It looked like the gruel they churned out in the first Matrix movie, but I can’t argue with the energy boost!
Onward!
November 9th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
Theresa, GREAT points! I especially can empathize with the “sucking the wind out of your sails” feeling when you tell folks about your goals. It’s funny–sometimes I can share information with some people–and sometimes I can’t. A lot of it has to do with my OWN notions, but that doesn’t make it any less true. Good luck with your new initiative this week and I hereby take off any jinxing!!
November 9th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Cindy and Beth, your NaNo comments show just what a great project that really can be–and how it might hold hidden challenges as well if it actually dampens your muse’s interests. I like the added energy and “pressure” of an arbitrary deadline, but it has to be the right type of pressure at the right time — and to Cindy’s point, the limited time frame is key.
November 9th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Gwynlyn! I just got to your miles-to-go comment… great minds both quote Frost!
And yum on holiday pie. Amusingly, the health food thing I just put together had pumpkin as a key ingredient. Very seasonally friendly! 
Good luck with your GH entry!
November 9th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Oh, Libby, you are so right… my new work schedule puts me at a deficit three days out of the week, where I can’t write first. I’m still trying to figure that out, but right now, I’m staring at the day’s writing still to go. But I’m strangely energized so I’m going to tackle it next!
Tomorrow though, writing comes first.
It is just so much easier that way. Thanks for your comment!
November 9th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Tonya, I know just from reading your blog over at chasingheroes.com that you are one of the most positive people out on the internet! And Baby Steps are the name of the game. It’s amazing what we can accomplish just by taking the first few steps.
Thanks for your post and your energy boost–I’m off to tango with my writing muse!
November 9th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Jenn, this was JUST what I needed to read today — thank you! I’m doing a very personalized version of NaNo right now. I need to get a proposal finished, so it’s not just about writing as many pages as I can, but also doing the revising at the same time. However, being around people who are so motivated to write is definitely keeping me pushing forward. I’m such a slow, slow draft writer (I spent ALL day on 3 pages), so it’s really helpful to feel the positive energy coming from so many goal-oriented folks out there! Best of luck with yours.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Marilyn, I’m happy that we both hit a need for productivity information on the same day! Here’s hoping the positive energy kept you going throughout your writing efforts today.
November 10th, 2009 at 8:05 am
Great post, Jenn – I should frame it and keep it by my computer!
November 10th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
A big ditto to what Becke wrote. What a wonderful post! Thank you!