“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded” (2 Chron 15:7).

The new year is one of my favorite times. All the chatter about goals and productivity and self-improvement fills me up. I carve out time to evaluate my progress on the previous year’s goals, and I use that information to set new goals.

What I learned when looking at 2019 was that I had veered off track on my writing goals, and unfortunately, I didn’t meet a single one.

Even so, 2019 held some valuable lessons. I took a good, hard look at the year: what worked, what didn’t, and more importantly, why. With that information in mind, I set new goals for 2020.

What Worked

1. Joining a critique group. Each week, I met with a like-minded group of writers to gain feedback and receive encouragement. Knowing I had to report to these ladies meant I had a hard and fast deadline each week. Even though I didn’t meet my goals, I made progress.
2. Scheduling writing time, both with friends and on my own. Having a dedicated slot in my schedule for writing meant I actually sat down to write. It’s easy for me to find other ways to fill my time (see Procrastination, below). Blocking out time to write works, so this method will follow me into 2020.
3. Walks. Walking my dog, Lilly, helps reduce stress and release creative ideas. It’s a form of self-care for me and doesn’t feel like work. If I’m stumped on the direction a project should take, or out of ideas for my blog, I just take a walk and watch the ideas flow.

What Didn’t Work

1. Negative self-talk. One of the biggest enemies on my writing journey has been, well, me. Negative self-talk, especially about my lack of progress on my cozy mystery, often threatens to derail me. By learning to recognize the negativity, I can take steps to corral my thoughts.
2. Procrastination. The only area of my life in which I procrastinate is writing my book. I work well ahead of schedule on everything else, including my nonfiction projects. There’s a psychological reason for this: I’m a perfectionist, and perfectionists tend to procrastinate when we think we’ll fail.
3. Over-scheduling. I fill my schedule to overflowing, both in my writing life and in general. I like to stay busy, but being busy isn’t the same as being productive. I’ve realized that I have to cut back on good, but excessive, events in order to make time for writing.

This year, one of my writing goals is, once again, to complete my cozy mystery. It’s a broad goal (too broad), so I’ve created a detailed writing plan to help me stay on track. In this plan, I’ve included time to work on other projects, such as short stories, which will help me improve my writing skills.

I’ve also developed new, short-term goals and strategies to overcome negative self-talk and procrastination, and I’m taking steps to reduce the number of items on my calendar. With the Lord’s guidance, I know I can make these changes and finish my novel.

Dear Jesus, thank you for the lessons I learned in 2019. Help me to use them to move forward into 2020. And always show me how to put you first in my endeavors. Amen.