It’s 2013 and I’ve got so much on my plate as a new author who is still learning the ropes and making plenty of mistakes. I delivered two books to my editor in late 2012 that are slated for April and July release and they taught me so much about managing my time and juggling writing new words, editing old words and doing promo on current releases. I met my deadlines and I was happy with my product but I knew that I needed to go into 2013 with a better plan to accomplish my goals or I’d be worse for the wear by summertime.

As the big ball dropped on Times Square I had a few questions for me, myself, and I:

How badly did I want to write?

What would I give up to do it?

How could I use my time more efficiently?

What was I doing to wreck myself and my balance?

My husband, the wonderful Main Man, surprised me with a Christmas present —a brand new office space where I could focus, produce and energize myself. I am lucky enough to have a closet which is 22 feet long by 8 feet wide where I had wedged in a small space to write. The Man and I put our heads together and reorganized the space to allow half of it to serve as my office, painted it and added a desk and bookshelves.

The resultant space is cozy, inviting and MINE. (except for when The Beast comes for a visit) I can shut the door and go into my own world and focus on my craft. Now, I just needed to shift my attitude.

I will be the first to admit that I am lazy, a slacker and a procrastinator of the first order if I’m allowed to get away with it. I love TV and internet shopping and generally goofing off. The problem is that I’d get to the end of the day and face a blank page and a daily page count. I’d get it done but it was exhausting and even I (who can easily function of 5 hours of sleep per night) was hitting the limit.

So, I sat down with the sole employee of Burning Up the Sheets, LLC (that would be me) and had a stern conversation about how things were going to be in 2013. The first change was to begin getting up at 5 am and writing as many pages of my daily goal before I got the kids up and I headed off to work. I already spend every lunch period writing so I told me (quite sternly) to keep doing that with the goal to have the page count complete by mid-day.  Blog posts would be written on the weekends and social media would be done during my daily work breaks. On a good day, I would have some free time in the evenings to work on future projects, read, or spend time with the Main Man.

So, how is this working?

So far, it’s working out very well. I meet my page count everyday and usually exceed it. I have been able to juggle multiple aspects of writing and editing without burning the midnight oil and I’ve even been able to watch some TV real-time and not on the DVR. Now, I’m going to incorporate a workout schedule and I think I’ll be functioning at my optimal best.

It isn’t perfect and I still find myself hitting the snooze button on occasion but I love how good it feels to ease into my work day with my writing – my passion—given the attention it deserves.

What changes have you made in 2013 to meet your writing goals?

Happy writing!

Robin Mermaid