December heralds the end of the year. Resolution list from last January in hand, I review my results. Each year I identify one area for improvement. For me, a single resolution, made with intent, beats a collection of promises I won’t keep.

2016resoultion

Observe the simplicity. I created the schedule on the same day I made the resolution, thus fulfilling my 2016 resolution obligation on the first day of January. See how important it is to word a resolution carefully if the intent is to always succeed? It’s also important to pay attention to the goal you want to achieve.

“Write 2,000 words a day.”

Witness the true intent of my resolution. I created a schedule on day one, but my goal was to write 2,000 words a day. I followed the intent.

In the morning as the sun rose, I wrote for at least two hours. Anything new – scenes for a novel, blog post, or assignment for my writing group – counted. Other hours of the day were used for rewrites, editing, publishing, marking, artwork, and associated tasks. These tasks could not be included in the 2,000 words a day. My 2016 resolution became a habit. One I thoroughly enjoy and will continue.

Okay, I confess. I didn’t write every day. Over the course of the year I failed to write a few times. For the most part, if I had plans that precluded writing at the scheduled time, I altered my schedule to make sure I wrote, if not at 5 am, then later in the day. The truth is, sometimes taking a break from writing brings you back rejuvenated and ready to tackle the challenges another day. When I need to clear my head, a hike always helps. A few times I wrote ahead (especially during NaNoWriMo), knowing I would be unable to make my schedule the next day. I wrote on vacation. I wrote helping someone convalesce. I wrote as the sun rose and I wrote when it poured rain. The important thing is I wrote.

“Create a schedule for a weekly hike.” Perhaps this will be my resolution for 2017. It worked last year. Why mess with success?