If you’re like me, by February, the newness of the year has worn off and with it a smidge of your enthusiasm. It’s not that I’m not still excited about the goals I set back in December or the action items I devised in order to achieve them.

It’s simply that we’ve now entered what I affectionately like to call “the ugly middle.” Yes, I borrowed a writing phrase to describe the months of February through October. Willpower is gone, and it must be replaced with … well, what, exactly?

A Clear Picture of the End

Going into 2023, I had a list of seven books to write. Did I write them all? Yes, and I even published them. But it wasn’t much past this time that I was questioning my choices. Was I biting off more than I could chew? Should I revamp my goals, publication calendar, and writing schedule?

I had to stay focused on two things: what I had decided to do, and why I had decided that in the first place.

The “what” was easy: the list of books, broken down into a daily word count goal, fit into my morning writing time. Write an average of six hundred words per day, five or six days a week, and I’d systematically write each manuscript. Easy, right? Not so fast.

It didn’t take long for the challenges and roadblocks to show up, which is when I had to circle back to my “why.”

Why #1: A few of the books had been on my list for far too long. They were past due. I’d been talking about writing them, thinking about writing them, and as anyone could see, they were not published.

Why #2: Some bigger, long-term goals relied upon those books’ completion. Can’t move on until they’re done.

Why #3: I wanted to prove to myself I could do it, regardless of challenges and roadblocks, no matter what else was going on. If I was encouraging others to write amid “all the things,” I needed to speak from experience, not theory.

When I fell behind later in the year, my editor asked if I was going to turn in manuscript number six on time. I lied and said, “Yes! We are all good.” Then I had to move heaven and earth—well, myself and my fingers—to make that deadline. But I did it.

Why am I sharing this with you?

There are a few reasons, but the main one is this: by the time you read this, the bloom may well be off of the new year’s rose. In order to find out what you’re made of, and achieve the goals you set for yourself back when the eggnog was flowing and everything was jolly and bright, you must hold not just the goal but your vision in mind.

It might be easy for you to recall your goals. In fact, I hope it is! Before you blink and it’s too far into the year for you to achieve them, sit down and write a clear vision of what your life and writing business will be like at the end of the year … when you’ve achieved your goals.

I used to write my goals in my journal and review them the next time I set goals (oops). Unsurprisingly, this was highly ineffective. Now, I write each of my goals—I set five total for the year—on a brightly colored note card and put it on my bathroom mirror. I can’t miss them; in fact, I see them several times a day, starting bright and early every morning. I’ve done this for a few years now, and I’ve been hitting my goals earlier and easier than ever. 

Dig out your goals and put them on your bathroom mirror, on your refrigerator, and even on the sun visor in your car. Every time you see them, recommit to achieving them by taking consistent daily action, and you will do it!

Happy writing!

Honorée Corder