Goals and routines

Morning folks, up early and ready for a writing day in a silent house. Bliss! I have a goal of five thousand words for today, so you might need to drop by later and check my progress.
You've probably noticed that I live by self-imposed goals - writing, day job and even in my personal life. I think it's the psychology of having a finishing line that I must work too, after which I reevaluate my progress and then choose the next step/goal - a never ending cycle of progress, I suppose.

Over the years I have adopted little routines of a similar psychological manner. I used to set an alarm clock at a suitable time it write, much like an appointment time - that worked well when you keep putting off writing because other jobs need doing. I felt like Pavlov's dogs but hey, it made me write each time the clock rang.

When I'm really busy, I've set thirty minute goals and write for just a short time but repeat four times in a day. The time soon adds up after four sessions spread throughout a busy day.

I tend to plan and write in a diary the next day's task - be it a specific chapter, a scene or an allocated time at my desk. I then leave my diary open on top of my laptop - it's the first thing I read on sitting at my desk. Strange but honestly, it works.

I have a project board - on which my current projects are written on post-it notes and pinned in date order. Straight away I can see the deadline order of competitions or group exercises along side my number one novel project. This is helpful when I spot a new competition - I add it into the work flow noting basic details for future reference.

An excellent trick I learnt from reading Simon Whalley's The Positive Productive Writer was to note your daily word count in a spreadsheet. Boy, what a motivation for me. Now, I can see my output for any week or month. Quite amazing when reviewed.

For today, my routines are simple - an entire day to indulge my muse in my own special world. I won't need alarm clocks or mini slots to motivate... all I need is my 5000 word goal!

You can follow me on twitter @odwyer_author to follow today's progress - who knows I might exceed my goal. Enjoy your day!