In today’s world with family, friends, work and endless media vying for your attention, it’s incredibly important to make sure you prioritize the things that are important to you. I spent much of the last few months discussing how to deal with various distractions and I’m even working on an ebook based around that very subject, but before you can truly implement that advice you must choose what is most important to you.
As the summer has reached its halfway point, I’ve been thinking about this a lot and re-evaluating my priorities for the next month. Soon enough school will start again and I’ll have extremely limited time for my writing, so I need to make the most of this next month. Everyone’s writing goals are different, but you can figure out which projects to prioritize by asking yourself the following questions:
1. Which projects are the most likely to make me money? This might not be your first priority, but if you want to make a living off your writing, it’s important to ask yourself this question. For me this is perhaps the biggest concern as I’m hoping to build an emergency cash cushion for myself and be prepared to move out. Thus, I need to work on finishing and sending out queries for a couple freelance articles I’ve recently thought up, as well as focus on compiling all the content needed for the ebook I’m working on right now. I am also applying to some writing jobs, though I’m focusing on my own business efforts right now.
2. Which projects are most likely to boost my reputation? This includes things like finishing the logo for The Dabbler, creating the landing page and officially releasing my newsletter. It also includes guest posts, which I hope to do a couple of next month and will be querying in the next week or so.
3. Which projects are closest to my heart? It’s important not to forget about the projects close to your heart. I have a couple short stories I’d like to edit next month and a novel I’d like to have started editing before summer is over. Without these projects to nourish my soul, all the other writing I do would get dull, but most importantly, if I don’t edit my novels I’ll never be able to make a living off of my fiction, which has been my dream since I was eight.
By asking these questions, I’ve discovered which projects I need to work on before the summer, and you can use them to do the same. You can even share your goals in the comments below and I can give you strategies to help you accomplish them.
So, what are your priorities this summer?