eBay Sales: tea for one teapot,
#MilWordy Update: 124,119 words (5,579 words/day to complete)
On the subject of goal setting and not being perfect:
As you see at the end of this post, I have several goals for this year. A few of them are daily goals and a few of them are yearly goals. Each goal has a measurable component to it.
Goal 1: is to finish 2 books and 12 short stories. I have promised 6 short stories to the Golden Fleece Press Patreon. The monthly load is being spread between me and another author for this year. However, if I try for at least one short story every month, then I will have a surplus and will have stories which I can start submitting to outside publications or possibly offer on my own Patreon (when I get around to actually getting that up and running.) I also owe two books to my publisher. (A sequel to Sugar and Spice and a sequel to To Market.) Thus, goal one is very measurable. I either finish the projects or I don’t. And to be honest, if I don’t finish them, then I will be breaking my promises and I hate that.
Goal 2: is to keep a journal. I have never been very good at journaling. I did pretty well at the three pages of brain dump a day process for about three months once. But in general, I turn to journaling when there’s something horrible in my life that I need to process. This goal is to try to circumvent this. We’re living in some pretty historical times. There’s something to write about every day. But there’s also the mundane. I’m trying to find at least one sentence a day. That means it should be simple to achieve. Why haven’t I been doing this? Because I put something on top of my journal. Yep. That’s it. It’s really that simple to create a barrier to the completion of a goal. So, how can I fix this right now? I’m going to move the things on top of my journal to the other side of my desk. Right now. As I type. It’s just a book and a CD drive, but now I can see my spangled Captain Marvel journal. (Don’t at me people. I love sparkly things. I am part magpie.) Let’s see if this helps any.
Goal 3: is to take a photo every day. Or at least to get 365 photos in a year. I haven’t managed a photo every day, but I’m within a week of the goal. That’s a lot better than the years when I’ve only taken one photo outside of vacation or eBay listings. The end goal is to create a book with just one picture per page as a record of the year. The photos will be everything from a photo of my walking team, to a close-up of a train wheel. But those pictures will be able to trigger memories, and that’s the whole point. Even if I don’t end up with a full 365 photos? I’ll have taken more than I would have without the challenge.
Goal 4: MilWordy. I’m attempting to write one million words this year. Is that easy? Heck no. Was it easier before I missed a few weeks of writing anything? Yes. Can I still do it? Probably. If I focus up a bit. I need to write more consistently, and MilWordy is making that happen. It’s encouraged me to do more sprints and to participate in a weekly YouTube write in. (Shout out to Porscha Writes, hosted by Porscha Simmons. You should come join us on Wednesday nights! There are speed demons like me, and well-thought-out turtles. It’s not how many words you do, just that you do them. And it’s a lot easier to do that when you’re surrounded by people who challenge you to write. There’s usually at least 2 and sometimes 3 writing sprints during the session.)
Goal 5: Blog every day. Well, anyone who’s been around here for any length of time knows that this is not happening. However, I am blogging more than I ever have before. Does that make this goal a success? Yes, I think so. I think the intention is to blog more. But I am not a moderation person. I am an every day or no day sort of person. If I let myself just “blog whenever” I will fail to blog for months at a time. When I have a goal to follow up on? I blog more often. I even can count my Sunday Night Music blog posts toward this goal. So, I think it’s working. I’ve gotten a lot more consistent and I’ve even thrown up a few blog posts that are saved by other people for one reason or another.
Goal 6: eBay listings. This goal has been modified several times. At first it was listing 20 items per weekday. Then, it was $150 per day. Now, I’ve upped that to between $200 and $300 worth of items per day. The theory is that you generally see a sell through of about 5 percent of the items you have listed. And if you list on a consistent basis your items are captured by the eBay algorithm more easily. Have a seen this borne out? A bit? I am selling more often. And a few things sell over-night. It ebbs and flows. This week will be slow because it’s Spring Break and it’s the last week of Lent leading up to Easter and people are not focussed on shopping right now. Next week might be different. You can’t really count on it, but I also think that it’s probably true that more active users get more sales. It just makes more sense. If you’ve got more items available, you’re more likely to find clients. It’s the math of abundance.
Overall, I think the goals have been going well. And in another three months, I’ll look back on them. And every day, I’ll consider whether they need to be updated or modified. Goals are not static things. They’re something to use to make yourself better at something one day at a time.
What sort of goals have you been working on?
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- Goal: Finish 2 books & 12 short stories — 3 short story complete. 1 in edits. The new story is definitely a crime story.
- Goal: Keep a journal, even if it’s only one line per day — I removed a barrier to this today. Maybe that will help.
- Goal: Take a photo every day and make myself a book at the end of the year. — Got four photos today. That’s helped me catch up with my goal.
- Goal: Complete MilWordy. — I have words today. That’s a help.
- Goal: Blog every day. — I missed a day, but I think today’s entry is strong.
- Goal: Modified eBay goal: List $200-$300 per day. It’s Sunday and I am not supposed to be working, but I still did about $50 worth of listings today.
BitterSuites 