#FirstDraft120 Day 44: Monday Momentum – Goals as Motivation #amwriting #nanowrimo
It’s our first week of FD120, as opposed to FD60. While giving ourselves more time to write gives us room to breathe, it also gives us more opportunities for procrastination and losing momentum.
So here are a couple of things I thought might rev up our engines and get us back on track with the motivation to revise our goals and start working on that new writing schedule.
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Dreams vs. Goals
Dreams vs. Goals: Do You Dream of Being a Writer?
- But will the dream of “being a writer” actually get you there? Is it something that’s as nebulous, as insubstantial, as the stories that run through our heads when we’re asleep? Or is the dream attainable? read more…
Dreams vs. Goals: Give Your Writing Dreams Marching Orders
- Dreams are hopes. Dreams are wishes. Dreams are visions of an outcome . . . without a visualization of the steps needed to reach that outcome.
Goals are what we need in order to figure out how to reach the end we’re dreaming of. read more . . .
Dreams vs. Goals: Setting Goals to Achieve Our Writing Dreams
- While starting out with a vague goal (still something achievable, but without “legs” to walk through all the way to the end result) is a good starting place, setting specific goals with actionable items is going to be how you measure your success. read more . . .
Dreams vs. Goals: What if my Writing Goals Change? What if I Fail?
- One of the reasons why I believe most dreamers are hesitant to actually sit down and go through the process I’ve described over the last few days—setting goals, writing them down, and setting a timeline—is not only because doing that makes it more concrete, more real, but also because by defining exactly what it is that we want to accomplish, we are defining exactly the ways in which we can fail. read more . . .
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Assignment: What is motivating you today? How can you use your newly revised writing goals in order to build momentum for the next 79 days?
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KayeDacus.com 
For the first part of motivating myself today, over my lunch break, I started updating my weekly schedule/calendar, by changing word-count/hours goal information on each week’s page, as well as adding the additional eight or nine pages for two more months of writing time.
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Note the 1k1hr sprints in green on the schedule. I will try to remember to post reminders/invitations on Twitter (@kayedacus, #FirstDraft120) about 20 to 30 minutes before they start.
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I also need to start tracking my “writing work” time in the weekly time log again. Because of the extended deadline, I’ve cut back my weekly hours goal to 20 (rather than 30 or 35 as before), which is an average of about 3 hours per day.
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I need to write my new goals down and I’m trying to dedicate 2 hours daily (with an opt out option for Sundays, as they’re just crazy) to writing time but I need to start tracking my time again too. 🙂
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I had so much momentum this morning, and it kept me going the whole day! I think the reset of this writing challenge carried over into some other goals and bumped up my motivation. Yesterday I made a weekly reward chart for accomplishing some basic goals (because apparently I need prizes just for being an adult). Having the tasks written out in front of me really kept me focused. I accomplished four of my five goals for the day–all but eating my vegetables, which basically proves I’m a 38-year-old child–and I had energy to spare. Momentum breeds momentum, I guess. I ended up writing 1299 words in just over an hour, which for me is miraculous!
If anyone wants to use it, I made a blank version of my reward chart that you’re welcome to download:
The challenge reset was a huge win for me thus far. I’m hoping for another 1000+ word writing day tomorrow!
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Great idea, Sarah–and I love the chart!
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