When I worked in the corporate world, I underwent all kinds of efficiency training. To-Do lists are supposed to be small, with the most important things at the top to tackle first. However, life doesn’t work that way.

Some things have to happen first before you can get to the highest priority things. Plus, once you finish something that requires a brain cell, you need something that requires less of the gray matter to follow in order to rest your feeble aging brain, right?

I’ve already failed to follow the order of my list that I made last night. I started at #1 because as soon as I’m up, I make kids’ lunches so that they can get out the door to school. But #2 felt like too much exercise before my first two cups of coffee, and I didn’t yet know what I was going to blog about, and #4 requires too many clicks, so I skipped to #5. Now that I finished #5, I’m trying to get back to the “proper” order of my list, and I’m doing good with this blog, right? That list was top of my mind, so I’m typing word-vomit while I’m sort of complaining about the fact my list is too long and I want to blame that piece of paper, but it’s all my own dang fault for committing to too many things this week… And on, and on.

And now, I’m ready to turn the list over on my desktop and just do wtf I want to do. What’s the worst that can happen besides two clients having heart attacks because their edits are due and me missing a book deadline? I’m turning it over….slowly…I haven’t yet laid it down…

Fuck. On to #4.

Open Contests & Giveaway

These contests and offer are still open! Take advantage while you can!

1. Global Happiness (A Puzzle & a Contest) —Will close Saturday! Win a download of your choice from my backlist!
2. Tell me a holiday story… — Will close Saturday! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Something or someone is marching along… — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. An early holiday gift from me to you… (FREE Read)

Planning for 2020

December’s actually a little late for me to begin planning what I want to accomplish in 2020. Any other year, I would have begun in November by drawing a mind map to start organizing my thoughts about my biggest priorities.

In fact, until this year, EVERY year, I led a group of authors through building their mind maps and then in December, I conducted a “Write 50 Books a Year” workshop to help them—and me—plan our work for the New Year.

However, this year, I stepped back from my Rose’s Colored Glasses group, needing some time to heal after two years of terrible losses (my grandmother and father). I’ve been a bit aimless as my publishing schedule this year will attest. I lost my ambition and focus.

Now, I’m trying to get back in the groove, so I’m “bribing” myself with new treats to try to encourage some excitement in me. I’ve always planned my work goals on Excel spreadsheets, and I’ll do that again this year, with an emphasis on “realistic”. My integrated plan—life and work—has been an evolving thing. I was a Filofax girl forever and then for several years, a Bullet Journal girl. I don’t have the energy to do the BuJo thing again. So, I bought a very pretty Erin Condren notebook. It’s shiny, rose-gold and pink, has tons of stickers and pretty pages. I spent yesterday assembling it, but then I opened it to January and froze.

I was afraid to commit pen to paper and mar those pretty pages. Or maybe, I was afraid to commit to a schedule because I know I won’t take it seriously…? Perhaps, I need to spend time playing with my Excel worksheets some more. I’m not sure.

However, 2020 has to be better than 2019. I have to be better. So, to you, my friends, any suggestions to help me buckle down and get the work done? What planning system do you use? I’d love to hear your suggestions.