Planning ahead = a sequence of steps to get you to your goal

Hard to believe that it’s March and we’re looking at the end of Q1. Quick check in: how is your quarter looking, and are you thinking ahead to next quarter? 

It’s hard to look ahead, especially far ahead. For example, my husband and I have a hard time putting vacations on the calendar. It’s probably due to (his) desire to be spontaneous and (him) feeling like there’s plenty of time to figure it out. I’m the opposite: I like to put a stake in the ground and work backwards so that we accomplish what we set out to do. Especially when availability and timing matters, as in the case with buying airfare and reserving a hotel room, and other things along those lines that require advance planning.

The right answer is probably somewhere in between planning a year in advance and waiting until the last minute. 

Which makes me think about those who might like to go on the cruise writing retreat in September and feel like it’s too soon to make a decision. It’s early March – how will you know what you’ll be working on in September and whether the cruise writing retreat will work for you?

I love planning like this. Let’s work backwards. I’ll use myself as an example, as I’m super excited about something I’m working on. 

I decided in late January, somewhat arbitrarily, that by October, I should be able to have written a good part of a new book, which necessitates a solid grasp of who I’m writing for, what I want readers to take away from this book, and what content serves both of those. Once I have those 80% nailed down, I can write a book summary, marketing description, query letter, an annotated table of contents, 3-4 chapters/essays, and author bio, audience, and platform description. So now I know what I need to do between now and October. I started working on this project February 1, and as of today, March 3, I already know who I’m writing for, what I want readers to take away from this book, I have a bare-bones outline that serves the reader, a draft query letter/book summary, author bio, and platform info. I’m just about ready to start writing – and I’m on track to meet my goal! 

How can my example help you? Think about where you’d like to be with your current project by a date later this year. Would you like to have a draft proposal ready to be reviewed? Would you like to have 3 chapters written? A full draft manuscript? A detailed outline for writing your book? Put a stake in the ground and then work backwards from the goal so you have a series of things to work on to get you there.

Now: let’s say you might want to go on the cruise writing retreat in September but aren’t sure how to make sure you’ll have something to work on during that week. Just reply to this email and tell me about your project, where you are right now with it, and what you’d like to have accomplished by September 1. Together, we’ll come up with a series of steps you can take for your project, no matter where you are in the process or what your goal is.

And then we’ll come up with a plan for our week in September so that you are motivated and engaged with your project. 

By the way, booking a cruise writing retreat is a GREAT motivator.

As a reminder, if you’re interested in the cruise writing retreat, availability is limited! Deposits are refundable until 120 days before departure.