Hello all! It’s been some time since I posted on this blog, though admittedly it’s been on my to-do list for the entirety of that time. The good news is that for every week/month/etc. I did not get on to this blog, I was busy typing away at a new enterprise, freelancing. The journey from a single-income household to one that is a functioning entrepreneurship has been fun and fulfilling, and something I look forward to continuing to grow.

That said, in this time I’ve allowed my writing creatively and for pleasure to fall by the wayside. By the time I’m able to devote a solid few minutes—preferably hours—there is either something more pressing to do or my brain is mush, at least that is the story that I’ve been telling myself.

You may find this a common theme among my more reflective blog posts, but I’m constantly trying to improve myself and my life in general. Although I am in love with the life that I’ve built, I know that I’m never going to accomplish the dream of writing and publishing a novel without actually writing, and writing a lot. For that reason, I know I need to find a way.

Here are some ways I’m looking to change my mindset and accomplish my dreams:

Acceptance

Before I can move on, I must accept that I do not have time because I have not made time. Full stop, read that again. We make time for the things that we find value in. Lately, that value has been very directly correlated to a dollar. However, the value I get from accomplishing a goal and creating something new feeds my soul so much that there is high value in that too. Arguably, there is more value in that than in chasing a dollar, but I’ll save those thoughts for my group chat.

Remember how it makes me feel

Remember that statistic that you see around saying that it takes 21 days, 3 months, 6 years, whatever it is to build a habit. I find that what I really need to do is force myself to take on a task regularly for a week or so, and then, so long as it’s bringing me joy it will stick. Writing brings me a whole lot of joy, so I just need to get myself into the seat and put my fingers to keyboard or pen to paper and be on my way to happiness. Hopefully, I will bottle that happiness up and become more consistent with these efforts.

Set a goal

Finally, I know that I will continue to prioritize this activity if I give myself a goal. Perhaps it’s 10,000 words in a given period of time or perhaps it’s getting that writing time so many days in a row, the point is that I will make it a game and achieve and/or regroup and reassess to achieve it. I believe this process has come to be known as “gamify,” which I just discovered is, in fact, in Merriam Webster’s vocabulary so I guess it’s OK to use.

Are you ready to change the game?

So that’s my game plan for the time being. Is there a goal that you’re trying to achieve that could benefit from a little gamification? Perhaps there is a process that you go through regularly and loath that you could jeuje up with a different game plan. If so, good luck. I, for one, might need it!