These wonderful and talented women have been there to encourage in so many more ways than writing since the end of November. We call our project the "366 Goal". We made a commitment to each other way back in November to meet a daily mini-goal, which we would check in with through email to be held accountable.
All of us chose writing goals - journaling, working on a MS, exploring a fun writing project we've always wanted to do. The mini-goals were just that - mini. Some of us have a goal to write one word a day. Only one word! But the beauty of the mini-goal is that once you've got that one word down on paper, more words struggle to be let out and written down.
I've gone between two goals: write 20 words on my current MS, or revise/edit the same MS for five minutes. These simple goals have helped me keep momentum on a MS I've been working on for years. In fact, since last November, I finished the novel and have now edited/revised 50% of it with another critique group I have online.
Many days I struggle to edit or write, but when I remember it's only for five minutes or 20 words, I manage to complete the goal every time - except once. I have to admit that I missed one day of writing earlier this month when I was in the throes of packing a house and moving across country. I was so disappointed when I woke up and realized I'd forgotten to write!
But instead of beating myself up over breaking my longstanding writing streak, I patted myself on the back for only missing one day. After all, if it hadn't been for those 18 ladies showing up in my email everyday, reminding me that THEY had written, I never would have accomplished the writing habit that I have now.
It has, in fact, become a habit. There isn't a day that I don't think about my writing, and that's a wonderful change from where I was before when I was lucky to write "if I had time". As everyone has heard before, there isn't time. You either make it, or you don't have any.
There are a little over five months left in 2016. Make a mini-goal for yourself to take you to the end of the year. It could be a writing goal or something else you've always wanted to do. Find just one other person to help keep you accountable, and start building a habit!
For more on mini goals, check out Stephen Guise's book "Mini Habits - Smaller Habits, Bigger Results"
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| Me with SuZan, one of the ladies in our accountability group that I had the good fortune to meet. |