A Lazy Writer’s Guide to Achieving Your 2022 Writing Goals
Writing is something I enjoy doing and have done so for as long as I can remember. However, as much as I confess my love for expressing myself through writing, the fact that I have yet to achieve all of my writing goals has led me to label myself a lazy writer. This is because I’ve decided that it must be laziness that causes me to become lukewarm or anxious about writing. However, with a new year always promising a “fresh start”- Oh, how I love how the new year seems to come with a restart button. I took a step back to reevaluate my writing journey, and I realised I wasn’t entirely lazy. Yes, I am a chronic procrastinator, but maybe, just maybe, if I could follow some really helpful tips to the latter this year, maybe after that I can really conclude if I am lazy. So, I’ll give myself until 2022 to evaluate and see if I’m truly lazy, but for the time being, we’ll just assume I am.
If you are like me and are determined to crush your goals in 2022, here are the five helpful tips I plan on following religiously this year in the hopes that it will help me, and I hope that you find these five tips helpful as well;
1. Take A Deep Breath
I’m not much of a singer, but the lyrics to Anna Nalick’s Just breathe (2 AM) keep playing in my head as I write this. Especially the part where she goes “But you can’t jump the track, we’re like cars on a cable
And life’s like an hourglass glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button now
Yeah, sing it if you’ll understand
And breathe, just breathe
Oh, breathe, just breathe
Oh, breathe, just breathe
Oh, breathe, just breathe”
Yes, take a deep breath. Stop worrying and just breathe. I know we writers like to berate ourselves, and writing can truly cause self-doubt, but one thing you can do when you just feel bad is to breathe.
2. What Do You Want?
“What do you want?” is a simple question, but I’ve discovered that many people struggle to answer this seemingly simple question. I’m sure I do.
As a result, it’s critical to respond calmly to this question. Maybe you want a finished manuscript by the end of the year/month? Or are you looking to branch out into a new genre? Or perhaps you’d like to write articles. Whatever you want to do, make sure your answers are as truthful as possible, and we’ll get started. The tricky part about this part is that sometimes we might know what we want, but executing it is a major challenge; this is where the third step comes in handy.
3. Create Realistic Goals
If you, like me, make bogus goals because you believe that small goals are simply too small, then hey! My writing journey in 2021 was terrible because I set unrealistic goals, so instead of achieving them, I spent most of my time thinking about writing rather than writing.
Let’s break down our goals for this year. Write it down and break it down. You can decide to write 1,500–2,500 words per day. Or two chapters of your work in progress every day. Consider how much ground you could cover simply by breaking down those really tall goals.
4. Create A System That Works For You
We can all agree that our creative processes differ, so I’m not going to tell you how to do it. But I do know that we all know what works best for us. Choose the best time of day for you to write. Personally, I enjoy writing at night. But, because I am learning time management, I am writing this article in the evening.
It aids the creative process when you can crack the system that works for you. This year, I’ve decided to abandon my usual “go with the flow” writing style and instead learn to outline my work. Writers have always talked about creating an outline before diving in, and I’ve always thought those writers were too organised to be true until I tried it in October of last year, and it completely changed my perspective on this. So, even if you have a system that works for you, you can always learn new ones.
5. Have A Support System
In this arduous writing journey, having a support system is critical. A person to turn to when you need a second opinion or simply need to take a step back from all the thoughts racing through your mind. It could be a family member, a friend, or a writing group, but keep in mind that no man is an island.
If you’ve made it this far and are still hungry for more advice, here are a few extras for you:
6. Never Stop Learning
I am a firm believer in the fact that writers are readers. It is beneficial to read and learn from the works of others. This in no way interferes with your unique process as a writer; it simply allows you to see how others did it and become inspired.
7. Celebrate “Small” Milestones
I know that as writers, we can be hard on ourselves and feel like we aren’t doing enough. But let’s flip that around and celebrate our small victories. Clap, hoot, pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself.
I’ll leave you with an African proverb. “The lizard who jumped from a high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did.”
Please keep me up to date on your writing journey, as I will be updating you both here and on YouTube. We’ve got this!
