a website & community for women who write & blog
What’s your word for the year 2025?
I’ve been choosing a word for the year for over a decade and it’s a practice I’ve passed on to the women of the See Jane Write Community too.
Some years I pick three words. Other years I choose a phrase.
Some years I get completely obsessed with the word that I chose. It becomes my mantra or prayer that I constantly whisper. Other years – like this year — my word has missed the mark – or so I thought.
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The story of how I fell in love with my life is also the story of how I became an overnight success.
No, I didn’t wake up one morning to 100K followers on social media or a million downloads of my podcast or a six-figure book deal from one of the Big 5 publishers.
But one morning I woke up and realized I was living the life I once prayed for and dreamed about.
I have always wanted to write and teach, and I’ve been doing both since even before I was an adult! I started writing as soon as I could sit up straight, according to my mom. And I’ve been teaching since my high school days as a math/science camp counselor. But during my years as a staff reporter at a paper in Louisville, Kentucky, I realized that I wanted to write on my own terms. And while I was an English teacher at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, I realized that as much as I loved ASFA, I wanted to teach on my own terms too. But what would that look like, I wondered.
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Trade your December to-do list for a December Ta-Da List!
I can’t take credit for coming up with that name. One year a Collective member used the term during a monthly planning session, and it stuck. And since then, it’s become a yearly ritual for me.
Usually, I help the members of the See Jane Write Collective each month set 3 major goals -– one writing goal, one wellness goal, and one goal for another area of life that needs attention. But December is such a wacky month for most folks, and we usually have a long list of things we want, need, and must wrap up before the end of the year. But we turn this to-do list into a ta-da list by making sure we include fun stuff and acts of self-care too.
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Creating a schedule for the ideal week is one of the first things I ask my coaching clients to do.
I don’t have the time to write! I hear this A LOT from women who have an idea for a book, blog, or newsletter but just can’t seem to put pen to paper or fingertips to keyboard. I get it. You’re busy. But here’s some tough love – we’re all busy! Unless you’re amid a major life change, your busy schedule doesn’t make you special. Sorry (not sorry).
Now I’m not denying that you are juggling a lot between work, family, and community commitments. But there is a way to make time for ALL OF THIS and make time for writing. Yes, it is possible to write and have a life! The key is to be intentional and having a model or ideal week schedule can help you do exactly that.
A model week helps you intentionally block out time for what matters most while leaving space for self-care and fun. Ready to create your ideal week? Let’s dive in!
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Setting quarterly goals is one of the best ways to keep yourself on track throughout the year or to give you that big finish you want for the end of the year. Whether you’re focusing on personal growth or your writing dreams, breaking your goals down into quarters makes them much more achievable! Let’s dive into my simple, seven-step process for setting your goals—and how to make the most of this new quarter.
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