Slice of Life I'm trying to carve out writing time?

I've been participating in StoryStorm for this month. The goal is to write an idea for a picture book every day this month. Each day we have been blessed with encouragement and inspiration from successful authors. They provided us with a wealth of tips for mining ideas for stories. Finally yesterday, one author suggested only with follow through will we discover which ideas are actually worthy of being made into a book.

I've paid attention to what occurs in my daily life. A smart tip. I've listened to children. Another good tip. And I've gleaned a few ideas. Today I wanted to sit my butt in the chair. One of the more practical tips. My goal was to develop one of my ideas.

First I needed to schedule the payment of  my monthly bills. Why does it take so much time to schedule paying bills? Slow internet, remembering passwords, organizing bills, all take time. Before I knew it, it was noon. I had some errands to complete so I took a break.

I think I'll be working later tonight.

Happy New Year! Prospero Ano Nuevo! Bonne Annee (No to open ended resolutions, yes to specific, achievable tasks)

2018  has begun! That another year has passed is difficult for me to grasp. I've been reviewing my bullet journal to help with writing reflections. If you haven't used a bullet journal, you can check it out a You Tube video by its creator, Ryder Carroll here: Bullet Journal by Ryder Carroll  He does an excellent job of explaining why he created the system. If you're like me, you will appreciate it!

I've been using the bullet journaling method for a couple years. I once worked with someone who used a similar method of keeping track of her work life. I just thought she was super organized and not sure I could be that organized. It didn't matter as much when I could remember everything. At first I might forget an important event but felt nudged by providence and didn't miss deadlines.

During a summer workshop I saw another teacher constantly writing in a book and I casually asked her how she was tracking our assignments. She showed me the journal she was keeping, it was a bullet journal. I did some online research and was enticed by the convenience of including everything in one book with only one book to locate. Sometimes I get sidetracked and write something down on another book or paper then realize I need my bullet journal. Things I like about the bullet journal include: creating the table of contents; notes from a webinar, book or blog; habit tracker; the ability to review my life, categorizing things such as a spending list, books I've read, or passwords; having the month on one page; future planning; and ... I have even include some sketches.

For several years the workshops I taught always included a component about the importance of using journals in the classroom. I created several power points with tips for teachers and students with examples of journals at all age levels. I believe journals are a positive way to show student learning. Journals provide the opportunity for self-reflection, which strengthens the learning. Reviewing my bullet journal helped me know exactly my activities, surprises, successes, failures, and my innermost dreams. 

I need to get my current bullet journal to take this post back in the original direction. Now I remember.

I have been following the blog of author, Julie Hedlund. She doesn't believe in making resolutions. You can read about that here: Julie Hedlund Anti-resolution revolution She created 12 short videos to help writers review the past year. I've used her videos to help me review my year.  I decided to apply Julie's advice to making my goals for this year. It is a focused way to set goals and establish short term objectives that will achieve the goals step by step.

Instead of saying I hope to travel more, I can break it down month by month and plan where I might visit. I already know of a planned trips, now I can see when a new trip can be planned. Instead of saying I want to write a picture book, I can start with completing a rough draft that I have set aside. Instead of hoping to write a non-fiction picture book, I can compile research to support my idea.

This is my plan. Today, January 8, I still like this method. I can better monitor my actions. I can see the specific action toward a measurable objective. That is the teacher in me...