How will you fill in your squares?

Hello Readers!

It’s that time of year again. A brand new calendar is hung on the wall or added to the planner. All those squares are white, crisp, clean. Empty.

I love empty squares. When they get filled up, they stress me out.

Seriously.

And with all those empty white squares comes the chance to fill in the important things first. What are the important things? So glad you asked. The important things are the goals you most want to accomplish this year. Not next year, or the year after that. This year.

How do you do that?

First, pick the important thing(s)

For instance, if you want to build a house, you would need to find a plan you liked. So, for week one of those clean calendar blocks, you would put in research house plans around your work or daily schedule. You have to write it in, or it won’t get done.

Trust me.

Next, you decide your budget. This means time with a calculator, your monthly bills and statements, your income records, etc. You would come up with a plausible budget based on these numbers.

Then you would make appointments with local builders to check out their experience, see some of their previous buildings, etc. These things just don’t happen; you have to write them down. Schedule them.

And follow through.

The same system works for writing a book. You have to pick your genre, learn from other writers, read books on the subject, maybe follow some author blogs, get a dictionary, marketing book, etc.

Putting up a building doesn’t happen overnight. Neither does writing a book. And not all writing is about books. The same system works for writing articles or poetry. But there are specific tasks that move you closer to finishing your goal—and they are the ones to add to those clean white squares. Jot them in before other non-essential activities squeeze them out.

So, how are you going to fill in those empty white squares this year? With activities you’ve always done that don’t move you any closer to your goals, or with actions that do?

If you have other tips to help readers reach their goals (writing or otherwise), please share them in the comments. They may be helpful to others as well.

Happy New Year!

~~Michelle