That One Elusive Goal

Today marks the twelfth week I’ve been meeting with some fellow writers on Tuesday mornings. Our purpose is to set writing goals to be accomplished before the next Tuesday. We all felt this would help us make more progress in our writing journeys. We’ve all seen an increase in writing quality and quantity during this time.

               My list for today (from last Tuesday’s meeting) looks like this:

Write blog for 9/4

Finish reading Write His Answers (a Bible study for Christian writers)

Finish editing Thursday Thoughts for 9/6 (my guest blog site)

                                                                               Write an extra blog

Sadly, I’ve only done two of the four, the first two. The “write an extra blog” goal has been on my list since week two. I’d love to be a week or more ahead on blogging so that if something catastrophic happens, I’m prepared. Most weeks I have achieved the goals I set for myself, except for that one goal that keeps eluding the “completed” check mark.

I’ve been able to add other memorable writing-related activities to my weekly lists. This week, in addition to what I asked to be held accountable for, I have researched an illustrator for a children’s book I am ready to send to a publisher, done some pre-planning for a writer’s retreat I will be participating in, publicized a one-day writer’s workshop The Encouragers Christian Writing Group is having soon and handled the e-mail responses, started reading Unleashing the Writer Within by Cecil Murphy , managed responses from three writing groups I’m part of on LinkedIn, promoted my blog on Facebook and Pinterest, gained some new followers via personal contact, and read some of my favorite writer’s blogs to see what I could learn from their writing styles.

               But, there is still that one goal that keeps haunting me. It glares off the page at me every time I look at my list. What is it about me that keeps me from being able to mark it off my list and then stay a week ahead?

               I need a deadline. If you give me a project to do, and say, “Do it whenever you can. I’m not in any hurry,” you’ll never get it. Part of the problem with this get-a-week-ahead goal is I haven’t been able to fool my brain into thinking it is urgent and HAS to be done by the next Tuesday.

I’m a procrastinator from way back. I comfort myself with good excuses. So when my granddaughter calls and asks if I can take care of my great granddaughter for the afternoon, I jump at the chance. Not just because they are the loves of my life, but because it gives me a good excuse not to work on that one looming goal. When a friend calls and wants to talk over a problem at lunch, I drop everything and go. It’s great for the friendship, bad for the goal.

It’s my personality type. My friend Debbie Potts writes a wonderful blog about personality types and how they react to various aspects of life. I’ve taken the assessment she uses and I always look forward to reading how people in my group characteristically act. She’s doing a two-part series now on goal setting and the four personalities. I can’t wait to read mine in part two. Maybe it will help me overcome my natural tendencies so I can get rid of this albatross around my neck.

What about you? How do you do with setting and accomplishing goals? Have you got any tips that might help me and others?

Go out and have a glorious joy-filled, goal reaching day-

Cathy

P.S. It's a little past 2 am on Tuesday morning. I am thrilled to share that I have overcome myself and I can check off that elusive goal that has been hanging around my neck for ten weeks. Halleluia! I have next week's blog in the bag and scheduled to post. Woo hooooo!  What a great feeling!