It Only Takes 10 Minutes

Taking 10 minutes to jot down some ideas can be very useful when you don’t have as much time to come up with an idea or simply as a brainstorming exercise. This could be for blog posts, I recently listed 4 or 5 topics I could discuss with some dot points just to get me started; some short story ideas, different names or places. They may not be used straight away but they all help to jog the muse when she doesn’t want to play. There are times that I have ideas all week to blog about but when it comes to Sunday morning they all evaporate.  With some ideas already there it is just a matter of picking one and fleshing it out, or reviewing the list might spark another idea.

As part of this process I have started thinking about what I want to achieve with my writing next year. Not to start but just to think about things. What did I always want to do that I haven’t yet. What has been recommended as a good idea to improve my skills? What can I think of to improve my skills or productivity? Is it entering competitions, another course, joining a new group (maybe a readers group)?

On a recent lunch time outing I steered away from the bookshops, in case I saw something to add to my reading pile. And chances are high; I always find something I want. Instead I found myself in a wondrous shop filled with stationery. Another little problem of mine and of course I made a purchase.

My find was a handy planner, come note book, that fits easily in my handbag. I am using it to list all of my goals, annual, monthly, weekly, daily and measure how they are going. And of course these all relate to my long term goals.

Truth be told I am a planner anyway. I like to have an idea about what I want to achieve each but sometimes all the little stuff gets in the way of the bigger picture. I wrote recently about energy management and time management and they are important but it is also worth reminding yourself about the overall goal, the long term ones that you are doing the daily tasks to achieve to ensure you are on track and that they are still what you want to achieve.

I will review the ideas I’m mapping out for next year over the next few months to ensure they are working towards my long term goals and that they are reasonable and achievable. But I don’t want to spend the time I should be doing other things planning for next year. A friend of mine, many years ago, would spend all of his study time mapping out his study and in the end there was little time left to do any actual study.

Goal setting is a tool to help you achieve what you want to achieve, don't let it get in the way of the goals. A lot can be achieved in just 10 minutes.

Happy Scribbling