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When I was an English teacher, I kept a quote board in my classroom, and each October, I’d display this quote from Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables: “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
Football, fall weather, Smart Party, my husband’s birthday, and Halloween – I have many reasons to love October. Yet considering what a dumpster fire 2020 has been, I’m hesitant to get excited about anything these days.
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Originally published October 19, 2016 // Updated September 8, 2020
How do you do it all?
People used to ask me this question a lot back when I was juggling teaching full time with freelance writing, blogging, running See Jane Write, exercising daily, and being a wife, daughter, sister, and friend.
Even now that I’m a full-time writerpreneur, people still want to know how I manage my time.
“What’s your secret?” they ask.
My answer: the Day Designer!
I believe that the keys to productivity are planning, process, and positive thinking — and the Day Designer helps with all three.
When you’re a multi-passionate writer, goal-setting is imperative. Otherwise, you’ll end up saying yes to everything and, most likely, accomplishing nothing.
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Because I was a teacher for 10 years, August always feels like January — a start of a new year, a chance for new beginnings.
Even with all that’s going on in the world and in my life, I am excited about August just as I have been in years before.
I want this August to be a month about leveling up, both professionally and personally, and I’ve set some goals and made some plans to help me do just that.
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For me, this month is all about hitting the reset button. I reset my 2020 goals. I revamped the See Jane Write website. And I’m doing the work to reset my relationship with God.
I’ve also been resetting my 40 Before 40 list.
Back in February when I turned 39 I shared a list of 40 things I want to do before my 40th birthday.
Then COVID-19 ended the world as we knew it.
Shortly after that I learned I would need to undergo chemotherapy. (In case you’re new around here, I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January, but initially told I would only need surgery and radiation for treatment.)
COVID, cancer, and chemo obviously mean that many of my 40 Before 40 plans — like traveling and hosting in-person events — simply can’t happen. And for a while, I was going to just ditch the whole project. But that felt too much like giving up and that’s something I refuse to do.
So here’s my updated 40 Before 40 List.
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