The #ROW80 Website back!! and my ROUND 1 goals

“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.”~Jim Rohn, American businessman

Finally, someone has released their vice grip hold on the merits of Facebook!

I’m excited to share that the Round of Words in 80 Days website is BACK!

I found out about this, of course, through one of those random times opening Facebook. I planned to peruse the page of posts, and that’s when I saw the exciting announcement!

When the group shifted to the dredges of Facebook, I lost the thrill of the ROW80 accountability. I’m only on Facebook because I have to. The social media world dictates that I need to be a presence, but there’s too much clutter in Facebook feeds to get anything useful out of it. With ROW80, if I wasn’t already following someone’s blog and receiving their email or WordPress updates, I had no clue what everyone was doing and how everyone was doing.

I missed the community.

If you haven’t guessed from the overuse of capital letters and exclamation points, I am thrilled with this! Big, super-duper heartfelt thanks to Eden Mabee. Support this lovely woman. Give her virtual hugs. Send her virtual flowers.

Let’s set the WABAC machine to December 2016 and my Round 4 goals:

• 1–Complete a good, polished manuscript of my memoir.–NOPE
  2–ePublish 1-2 shorter books.–NOPE
  3–Get my email Inbox below 500 emails.–NOPE
  4–Get my phone photos below 10,000.–NOPE
  5–Pack/toss/donate a whole buncha stuff.–YEP!  My only success.

I accept that. Let’s move forward.

Each round breaks up the year into four quarters, starting on the first Sunday of January-April-July-October and ending on the third Wednesday of March-June-September-December.

ROUND 1 of 2017 runs January 1 through March 22, which is actually the 4th Wednesday based on how the calendar falls. What are my goals?

I’m beyond impressed and humbled with Alex Kourvo’s 2017 in 2017 blogpoost where she chooses her writing goal for the year. I like that concept, but even though our HOUSE SOLD IN 27 DAYS!, we’re tidying up all the related paperwork. I do have time to focus on my goals–writing and otherwise–but 2017 of anything feels overwhelming, especially since I’m 25 days into the new year.

My alternative is–hold on for super cleverness–is to complete 17 in 2017. I am NOT doing that stereotypical “seventeen 17’s in 2017,” but these are my exciting 2017 ROUND 1 GOALS, in no particular order:

1.) Explore 17 writing outlets.
I refuse to use the word “query” because that sounds like I’m seeking a book deal. This goal refers to finding any job or writing opportunities. There is nothing waiting for me on the other side, so I’m open to anything: freelance opportunities; staff jobs; publishing workshops; or editing presentations and whatever in between. Maybe I’ll find some solid writing gig–whatever that means to me at the time–before I’ve sought out 17 outlets, and that is a success. I won’t know what’s out there until I go exploring.

2.) Delete/Deal with 17 old emails.
By this, I mean keeping up with current emails AND going way, way back into my dusty years-old inbox every week. My 2016 Round 4 goal to get below 500 emails was a great idea but not executed well. Can I do 17 a week? Some weeks, yes for sure. Others, like the week we move, maybe not. It’s a balancing act.

3.) Write 17 chapters in one book or various books.
Alex’s 2017 pages is ambitious, but it’s not for me this year. Breaking down 17 chapters in one year equals approximately 1.4 chapters per month. That could be adding to my memoir, completing a novella or writing several short stories, all of which is a lot more than if I never made time to write.

4.) Write 17 letters send 17 cards to friends.
I was in Starbucks at Middlebelt and Schoolcraft Rds. when I started writing letters in 2016, those daytime here’s what’s going on in my life now and I’m thinking of you notes. These casual, random thoughts letters took all of, what, 20 minutes to write. Who doesn’t have $1 to buy notecards in a dollar store, $8.33 for stamps and 340 minutes to scribble out some stream of consciousness thoughts of life to a friend or family member?

5.) Read 17 books.
People who read 200 books a year in those Goodreads challenges will poo-poo this goal, but the thing about numeric challenges is that I never know how long it will take me to enjoy a book. I don’t want to be on, say, March 25 and be on page 125 of a 363-page book. Oh my gosh, I better hurry up and read because it’s quantity over quality! That’s what has sucked the joy out of reading for me these past years. A Book of the Month goal feels a comfortable number to reinvigorate me.

Optional ideas to wander abound as the year progresses:
–See 17 movies.
I’d love to be in movie theaters more, but there’s not necessarily 17 good movies coming out this year or running in the second-showing theaters. I don’t even know where, or if, there are second-run theaters in New Jersey.

–Deal with 2017 pictures each month.
Seriously, this is a time/mailing/financial/logistics hullabaloo that may not be feasible. That’s a total of 24,204 photos and videos this year, which would drop my photo storage back down to a reasonable number. Is this doable? I don’t know but it’s interesting to toy with.

The big question here: How does this fit into the accomplishable goals of the next 80 days? What about my Motown Writers Network 30-Day Challenge? I’m not sure yet, but as I plan the final steps of our move back to New Jersey, writing these down is an achievement.