Getting better at looking ahead
Ah, December. Month of holidays. Last month of the calendar year for many countries. For my family, the beginning of Winter Break—and lots of birthdays.
And for me wearing my snazzy business hat, a time to look ahead.
Planning ahead has not been the easiest thing these last few years. I have this vision of December being primarily a time of reflection and planning, the regular course of business suspended for a few weeks.
That has yet to happen. Surprise, surprise—I’m only running my wee business while also helping school my kiddos. But what is happening is that I am getting better at carving out that time. And at looking ahead.
Right now I’m planning out fiction projects for 2019 and 2020. But not just fiction—and not just the Rucksack Universe. I’m making headway on some other ideas I’ve been wanting to make space for. I’m able to put more energy into my creative work. After seven years, it’s also just flat-out time to raise my game.
Here are things I’m doing:
- Listing out stories and projects I have in progress or have some defined concepts for
- Setting story goals (not schedules at this point, just production goals)
- Examining the overall business: What is my course, and am I going the way I want to go?
- Reviewing my ongoing efforts to do better outreach and build community
It’s a time of reflection. Of rest and preparation for renewal. And I’m embracing that as much as I can in the time I have.
What do you do for planning out the new year? How do you figure out how to prioritize your projects?