How to Stay Accountable to Your Writing Goals
Do you struggle with holding yourself accountable to your writing goals? Writers, for the most part, must do the majority of their work on their own. They must set their own writing schedules, goals, and deadlines. If they don’t set expectations and boundaries that help them stay on track, things can go sideways easily and quickly.
Obviously, if the writer is working for someone else, say as a freelancer, a journalist, or if they have an agent or a publisher, the setting goals and whatnot may be easier because there is a pretty clear consequence if the writer doesn’t deliver.
This article discusses the mindset issues that can plague self-accountability, external factors that seem to knock us off track, and tips to help you stay in control of your writing goals.
Let’s hop to it!
UNDERSTAND HOW YOU WORK
Depending on how you work, you may actually be someone who is more productive because you have a limited schedule versus someone who might be overwhelmed.
If you’re the former, then real-world obligations probably don’t stress you out into thinking you won’t be able to get your writing done. You might even use them as markers throughout your day to help you decide when you can do your writing and for how long.
If you’re someone who feels overwhelmed by a guardrail-to-guardrail schedule, then this can easily dampen your desire to write. You may feel too anxious to sit long enough to even write 750 words before you remember you have to start dinner, fold the laundry, return a client’s email, pick up the kids, shovel the walkway…
Knowing the conditions under which you work best is key to helping you learn how to hold yourself accountable to your writing goals.
Tapping into what I call natural writing forces will give you the power and confidence to follow through on any responsibility you have to deal with.
YOU CAN’T? OR YOU DON’T WANT TO?
There is a difference between not being able to write due to real-world obligations, and not wanting to write.
Make sure you are aware of the real reason the writing isn’t getting done, as approaches to help mitigate the issue will differ.
As with all projects and duties, not every day is a good day to write. Not every writing phase or transition stage is enjoyable.
When it feels like a burden, it’s harder to stay accountable. How many times have you put off a task—writing-related or real world-related—because you simply didn’t want to do it?
Some of those tasks can really wear us down mentally, seeing them on our to-do lists week after week.
If you’re suffering from “I don’t wanna” then you need to explore that. Go deep here, because you’re likely battling something akin to lack of confidence or fear of failure or loss of joy.
These are hard to acknowledge because of what they suggest, but your writing will suffer greatly until you figure this out.
Seek out a friend who can help talk you through this negative mindset, or bounce it off in a trusted writing group.
OK, so you really can’t. Let’s fix that.
If you’re legit struggling to write due to interruptions, low energy, family issues—then the first thing to take note of is whether or not this is a chronic problem.
If it’s a chronic problem—ongoing for a few weeks, then it’s likely less to do with the external factor and more to do with your internal resistance. This is a symptom of fear, and I highly encourage you to do some journaling around it.
If it’s not chronic, but rather random interruptions that pop up here and there—but often (or annoying) enough to slow down your momentum, then you can tackle the problem through a reassessment of your day or your week.
As an example, I don’t do well setting daily goals for tasks because each day behaves differently. If I get to the end of my day having not crossed off everything on my to-do list, I feel really discouraged.
So I started to set goals with the understanding I have a whole week to get them done, and I prioritize accordingly based on:
1) my energy level
2) deadlines
3) inspiration
This has been a game-changer for me. It allows me to also look ahead at my week more often, so I can start planning out stuff. When I have a whole week of stuff on a list in front of me, I’m able to squeeze in one or two more things each day whenever I have an unexpected 10-minute window. Plus, it’s easier to batch similar tasks together.
TIPS TO BETTER MANAGE YOUR TIME & ENERGY
MOVE YOUR BODY AT REGULAR INTERVALS
We’ve all become aware of the “sitting disease” and writers are at the top of the high-risk list. I have suffered from carpal tunnel, sore muscles and tendons, weight gain, and poor vision since becoming a full-time writer.
We’re less likely to hold ourselves accountable to writing if our bodies don’t feel good. Decide on when you should take breaks throughout your day, and set an alarm to remind you to get up and move.
Stretching and Light Exercise - Put on some music, set your phone alarm for ten minutes, and dance, stretch, lift weights, walk around the block, jog up your staircase. Anything that will get your blood pumping is a benefit to your creative juices.
Rote Household Chores - Washing dishes, laundry, dusting, vacuuming, weeding the garden, prep dinner. These are some tasks you can do that will help you get out of that chair and get something done that’s on your to-do list. Set your alarm for your preferred break time to help alert you it’s time to get back to writing.
BATCH SIMILAR TASKS & RESPONSIBILITIES
Saving + making extra time is an excellent way to hold yourself accountable to your writing goals. This method cuts down on stress and overwhelm—both nasty writing goal predators.
If you know you have a dentist’s appointment on Wednesday of next week, why not do your grocery shopping on the same day? While it’s extremely difficult to schedule all of our appointments in one day, back to back, you can make the most of the time you do have to step away from your writing by at least running a couple of extra errands. Not only will it save you on gas, it will save you on time.
This is true for any marketing or social tasks you have to do. When you can batch these tasks into a single morning, you’re making extra time for yourself that you can apply anywhere in the remainder of your day or week.
FIND AN ACCOUNTABILITY TEAM
A writing group or a writing partner or even just a really good friend is a fun way to stay accountable. Announce your intentions and explain where you tend to slip. This is when the group, partner, friend step in and hold you up. Make sure you return the favor.
REWARD SYSTEM
I’m a big believer in the reward system to help us with accountability. I know that many disagree with me on this point. The argument being that when we reward ourselves for accomplishing a task, we train ourselves to do things for the reward at the end, so we’re setting our sights on the reward. Or that we’ll only do hard things or annoying things if there is a reward attached.
One way around that is to make your reward as applicable to the task as possible. For example, if you finish the first draft to your novel, reward yourself by downloading a playlist of instrumental music to listen to as you begin revisions. If you met your goal of losing twenty pounds, go buy that top you’ve had your eye on or buy that really expensive blender so you can make healthy smoothies.
SELF-CARE
Self-care tends to be easier to honor when we’re already away from our writing projects. In my case, writing fiction is more enjoyment than work, so the idea of taking time away for “self-care” seems pointless. But when I’m rational, I do admit that self-care is so much more than pampering the Muse.
Some of my favorite activities include going to the beach, meeting up with a friend, going to the movies, or hiking in the woods.
The bottom line here is that we must take good care of ourselves. When we’re physically and emotionally and spiritually healthy, we will be creatively healthy too. It’s all tied together.
HOW DO YOU DO ON ACCOUNTABILITY?
DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER TIPS OR SUGGESTIONS THAT WORK FOR YOU?
HAVE A WRITERLY DAY!