It's here! It's here! It's here! To paraphrase REM, it's the end of Round 1 as we know it! Have goals been met? Or even smashed into oblivion with the awesome-ness of your progress? Or did you take a slower and steadier approach to get the year started? Whatever the result, the end is here and it's time to look back and see what has been accomplished thus far.
For me, Round 1 has been a mixed bag of progress. I wish I had made more progress than I have, but at the same time, I am grateful for the progress I did make. I am trying to look at what I've done this round from a balanced and realistic perspective. I don't want to get all emo-sad because I didn't accomplish everything I wanted to, but I also don't want to be overly congratulatory of myself either. I know I have work to do in round 2, but for round 1, here are the results:
Writing: I did okay here, writing 3-5 days a week, though my word counts weren't always that stellar. I am at the point in my WIP where I need to go back and add in several scenes in the beginning which I hadn't planned on, but that make sense after some of the recent changes that have occurred in the overall story. My hope is to work on those scenes between now and the start of the next round.
Working out: Eh...my habits here are better than they had been at the start of the round, but not where I want them to be. With the string of nice weather we've been having I have definitely picked up the pace in this regard, but I still lack the willpower and motivation I need to have. I just wish I could get to the point where working out becomes a habit and doesn't feel like actual work. It would make things so much easier!
Blogging/commenting: Much improved! Posting took a hit when I took a bit of a break in February, but I am getting back on track with this. I had forgotten the reasons I started blogging in the first place and that was to (1) have fun and (2) get more comfortable writing to an audience since that was the biggest hurdle I faced (and still face) in my writing. My blog posts aren't earth shattering by any means, but they let me put a little bit more of myself out there. Progress is progress, right?
Twitter: This is still a work in progress, but the word sprints in the afternoon (when I can particpate) are a huge, huge help here. Not only do I knock out a lot of words, but it gets me more comfortable in the twitter-verse. And seriously, I love the motivation that the sprints provide and it's a great group of people to write with. *throws glitter over all the word sprint peeps!*
I also had an unofficial goal to read more, and this has been happening. Between my classes and reading for fun, I've read 6 books (almost 7!) this year and have a bunch more to get through.
In looking over the results of this round I see much accomplished and much which can be improved upon. I have already started tweaking my goals for next round to make them work a little better with my schedule which will be crazy between now and the middle of May. I definitely need to make the goals more realistic for everything that I will have on my plate. Two papers, two finals, plus lesson plans and grading for the classes I teach, on top of the day job, and well, life in general, will make for a very stressed out Kat if I take on too much!
So fellow ROW80-ers, how did everyone else do this round? Did you check off lots of goals from your lists? Are you planning on taking part in the second round? Good luck and see you in eleven days!
Yay for busting out some of those goals! I know that I had to do some serious tweaking to find the right goals that worked. It takes a lot of time to figure out because what works one day or one week doesn't mean it will the next. So glad you stayed positive throughout - looking forward to cheering you on in the next round!
ReplyDeleteI really like how you've already thought of how you can tweak your goals to fit your schedule better in the next round. I'm convinced that being able to adapt as life changes - as we change - is one of the often overlooked keys to success when you are your own boss!
ReplyDeleteBTW, your profile pic is so cute! I had a cat that looked so much like the one in your pic. Unfortunately, after I landed in the ER two Christmas Eve's ago with hives on top of hives on top of hives and had to be injected with lots of drugs to stop itching and wheezing, I learned that I had developed a severe allergy to cats! (I had had my cat for years and never had a problem before - but blood test later reavealed that I am 'highly reactive' to cat dander...???!! ha!) Anyway... it made me think of my baby-cake, 'Eilesh'. :)
Look forward to seeing you in round 2, Kat!
Glitter for everyone! I agree - our wordsprints have definitely made a huge difference in my writing. Even on days when I plot or brainstorm instead of write, I make so much progress.
ReplyDeleteI think you're definitely on the right track as far as goals are concerned -- you might not have reached the point where, say, exercise feels super natural, but you're getting there!
HUGE well done on what you did manage. It's an achievement.
ReplyDeleteSee you in round 2? xxx