I had a day of planning today. Awhile ago, I kinda got into this task organization system dubbed “GTD” by the biz community, short for Getting Things Done. This is back when I was really struggling to get words on the page, and I realized that part of that problem was my anxiety, and specifically anxiety about all the tasks I needed to complete each day.
I didn’t realize at the time that those tasks weren’t actually the source of my anxiety, they were simply a distraction that it was driving me towards. The problem was stress surrounding that actual writing itself, and it was THAT which needed to be addressed.
Since I figured that out, I kind of left GTD by the wayside, including this app called OmniFocus, which is actually a tool I really like for organizing tasks and projects. I let it languish, and go unused for too long.
Well, I restarted it today. I have this list of random stuff to do, and I’ve been very, very slowly getting those tasks done. But, there are always MORE tasks, you know? And I don’t want to perpetually be feeling like other areas of my life are suffering at the expense of my writing.
That is to say: I’m starting to feel more confident about my ability to write words, and I can make room for the rest of my life now, not let that go neglected. Today, I wiped OmniFocus clean, and re-put-in all my current and upcoming projects, and then sorted that list of stuff I had to do into those piles.
I also did a little free-writing today, too, and went over more long-term goals and such. I did some thinking on who I want to be as a writer, what some of my milestones are that I want to reach, and approximately when I want to reach them, and well as the actual direction I want my career to go in.
In a nutshell…I want to be successful and sell a lot of books, obviously, but I also want to write stories that matter to people, that move them, and that speak to something about real life and the world we live in. I don’t just want to write books that entertain, though that is and will always be my first job. I want to be an excellent writer. And for that, I realized today, that I need a mentor. Several of them, probably, but at least one who’s been to the promised land and written fiction at the level I aspire to.
I don’t know how I go about finding that person. But, it’s going on the list of goals. It’s not exactly a brand-new item, but it was really reaffirmed to me today that it’s something that will help me get where I want to go as a writer.
Anywho…A’s won today. Mariners and the Yankees lost, so we gained ground on both teams, getting closer to the Yanks for the top Wild Card spot, and putting a tiny bit of distance between us and Seattle for that second spot. They’re really struggling right now, and we’re on fire. Tomorrow, we go for the sweep of the Tiger.
Go A’s.