How I Intend to Succeed in 2023 with Priorities

Over the past couple of years, I continued to pile quite a bit onto my plate. Whether it was blogging, creating YouTube videos, playing on Twitch, or writing my next book, time slowly grew more and more scarce. And I finally reached a point where a lot of the things I wanted to do didn’t get enough quality time.

That was until a couple of days ago, after sitting myself down and really focusing on what I truly want out of life.

While I still see myself as the writing version of Buckaroo Banzai, I’m surely not as successful. But that’s because I spread myself way too thin.

In other words, I found my tipping point.

What Are My Priorities for the Next Year?

There are two constants in my life: writing and fitness. And recently, I’ve been wavering on both fronts. A lot of this is because of how stressed I am trying to get everything done.

Well, when I’m stressed this much, I tend to forget a lot of small things, like working out.

What winds up happening is that I get overwhelmed to the point of not knowing where to start. Then, I sit and stare at a blank screen for a considerable amount of time, trying to figure out if I should do A or B, first.

I still manage to make some magic happen, though. While I often feel like a deer in the headlights throughout the day, I can at least leap out of the way in time to keep from getting smacked by the pickup truck of life.

After spending time with myself last Saturday, I came to a realization of what I want most. That is to be a healthy author. This means my priorities have to center around fitness and my books.

What triggered the epitome was a review I received from one of my beta readers for my next novel. It was thorough and very informative. However, sharing insights from a reader was only part of the elation.

It was the tone in which he wrote that sparked life within me.

From how he structured the review, it was easy to tell how much he loved the book. And he wasn’t the only one, as someone else told me how it was her “getaway” at the end of a long day. After those moments, a fire was lit.

Planning Out the Day

Now that I know where I want to be this time next year, it was time to start a plan of action. I spent the next day trying to adjust my schedule to see how much time I could muster throughout the day.

You see, I don’t just write for myself or my blogs. I also manage my clients. So, I need to make sure they get adequate time for their projects. After all, they are the ones who are paying my mortgage.

Because I had so much that I wanted to accomplish, trying to squeeze in some writing time for the novels and exercises was nearly impossible. I simply had way too much to do throughout the week.

In order to see my aspirations come to life, I had to let some things go. And this, alone, goes against my very nature. It’s hard for me to give up on anything, even when it’s fairly obvious that I should.

One of the most used quotes I promote to anyone following me on social media is to “Never give up, never surrender!” And having to reel back a few things to fit writing and exercise time makes me feel like I’m giving up on those side projects.

But in reality, that’s not the case.

I still have time to write a couple of blog posts here and there while uploading a couple of videos per week. Overall, I’m merely slowing down production on a few things so that others may flourish.

For instance, instead of three posts and three videos per week for WriterSanctuary, I’ve reduced the output to just two of each. So, I can still offer help and guidance to those who follow the blog and channel.

The most important part is how I feel, in general. Instead of stressing myself out and trying to push out as much content as I can, quality time is now assigned to those projects.

That’s the real change in my day – quality time.

Instead of sitting and trying to figure out which should come first, I have a cut-and-dried schedule. Every moment throughout the day has a purpose now. And so far, it’s been working out very well.

Then again, it’s only been a few hours into the new week of this schedule. Still, I’ve managed to keep a good flow going all day long and feel good about where things are going.

Especially since my health and my next books are taking priority over everything else. Well, aside from the clients, that is.

Will This Really Help Me Publish More Books?

Right now, I only have A Freelancer’s Tale listed on Amazon. Every time I look at my author page, I know that I could have several more available. And my latest book should have been published several months ago.

Between family issues, new client projects, and wasting a lot of time in chaos, my second book still isn’t complete.

The idea of prioritizing my next book guarantees that I’ll spend at least an hour per day editing. That’s not including nights or weekends that I decide to put a bit more work into the manuscript.

At least this way, I know that some of my time each day is being spent working towards my end goal.

Technically, I’m working on two books simultaneously. Not only am I editing a dark fantasy novel, but I’m rewriting one of my horror novels from Wattpad. That’s because I often talk about it and the book is a bit cringey to read.

I’ve come a long way since 2016.

Not to mention that I have a few fans who are eagerly awaiting VII to be fixed and finished.

After I finish rewriting the horror story, I’ll be able to dump even more time into editing my next book that’ll be on Amazon.

The bottom line is that, yes, prioritizing what I absolutely want out of life will help me publish more books. As long as I can keep to this new schedule and avoid random distractions, I can accomplish some great things.

Moral of the Story?

For me to achieve my dreams and goals, I have to keep myself focused and consistent. I’ve had to roll back some of the odds and ends so that the important things get more of my time.

Without prioritizing the things I want to accomplish, they would have continued to sit on the back burner. It may have taken months to finish writing the horror novel when at this rate, I’ll be done before the end of January.

This all came down to deciding it’s what I want to do and what I’m most passionate about.

When I wake up in the morning, I don’t think about watching my favorite show or playing my favorite game. I’ve always wanted to start writing, whether it was a blog post or a manuscript for a new book.

I’ve been like this for a very, very long time. So, instead of fighting my nature, I’ve decided to embrace it and schedule my day accordingly.

I suppose that’s one of the benefits of working from home. My schedule is pretty flexible, as long as I’m focusing on the right things. And this time around, I think I’m on the right track.

Here’s to an amazing 2023 and making my dreams come true. Because if I don’t take action to make them happen, they never will.