Weekly Writing Plans

I sat at my desk for 15 minutes, sipping my coffee, staring at the green folder labeled (boldly, in pen!) "Weekly Writing Plans". The folder is slightly crinkled from a voyage in a gray bin through security at Logan Airport in Boston two weeks ago. The folder contains my enemy- Weekly Writing Plans from October 15th through January 28th.

The Weekly Writing Plan is a form I designed in Word to help me be efficient and effective in the time I have to write. Every day has a goal which is specifically outlined with chapter numbers and non-fiction topics clearly identified. There's a neatly penciled-in key at the bottom with the initials I'm using to represent my variety of active writing projects. There's even a dedicated column for check marks when each task is completed. The form is well-crafted, easy to use, and easy to read (if I may be immodest for a moment).

The problem lies in me. I have over-ambitiously projected my capabilities. I seriously overestimated the amount of writing I would be able to complete on vacation with my sons in Massachusetts. I seriously overestimated the amount of writing I would be able to complete during the week my sons were home from school for Thanksgiving. I am now faced with beautifully executed Weekly Writing Plans that are stupidly out of date, overwhelming and unhelpful.

I know what needs to happen. It's do-over time. This time, I am going to do things slightly differently. Christmas is coming. There's a winter break. My son has an IEP meeting in December, which generally leaves me too angry/sad to do anything more mentally taxing than physical labor. Someone will get the flu, croup, or a mysterious fever and rash. It's not possible to predict the inevitable daily living chaos around here. I've been trying to do so for years. Chaos wins.

I can, however, plan for the existence of the chaos and not set myself up for failure. I am going to use my Weekly Writing Plans as a weekly tool, to be completed either Friday afternoons or Monday mornings. I can set monthly goals. I probably will, since I am a planner, by nature. The monthly goals can help inform my weekly plans, but they won't derail me, since I will be able to quickly adapt to changing conditions. The Weekly Writing Plans were working before the trip and the holiday break. When I change my process, I am confident that they will work even more effectively.