Here’s a secret: we’re almost a week into the new year, and I haven’t made a single resolution, writing or otherwise.
I used to really enjoy taking some time in the days leading up to Christmas to really take stock of the current year and make plans and goals for the year ahead. I’d think through what I wanted to accomplish in my personal life, my writing life, and my business, and I’d start sketching out a plan to make it happen.
But as I was telling some friends on New Year’s Eve, these last couple years, it’s felt a little bit like I’ve sprinted full speed up to the holidays and limped across the “finish line” just in time to start sprinting again on January 2. And I’m not talking about work here — I’m so, so grateful for the work I’m getting to do with so many different authors right now — I’m talking about searching for at-home COVID tests, coordinating family get-togethers while wondering if it’s responsible to get together this year, rearranging plans due to COVID…you know, all the things.
I don’t think I’m alone in this. I think we’re all tired this year. A lot of us are struggling to find the energy and mental space to reflect or look forward or do much other than get through each day. (And also, like, why make plans when they could very well be upended tomorrow?)
And yet there’s a part of me that’s critical of that. That’s telling me, “Well, if you didn’t make any resolutions, how are you going to make anything happen in 2022?” That thinks my writing life or my personal growth will necessarily take a backseat because I missed the December 31 deadline.
But guess what? None of that is true.
The reality is that any time is a good time to get started.
When I was in grade school, the priest at my church always told us that, during Lent, we were supposed to do our best to keep the commitment we’d made, whether it was giving something up or building a new habit, every single day. But if we messed up one day—if we ate the chocolate we’d sworn off or picked a fight with our little brothers—that didn’t mean we’d failed. It just meant we had the opportunity to start again tomorrow.
I don’t practice Lent so much anymore, but I do try to keep Father Jay’s advice in mind and remember that growth and development are not tied to any particular date on the calendar. So if it’s the middle of January and I haven’t touched my work in progress since Thanksgiving, that doesn’t mean 2022 is a wash! If I can learn to give myself grace in the days and weeks when it’s difficult to maintain that writing routine (easier said than done, I know), then I can also give myself permission to start again any time, whether that’s tomorrow or next week or a random Tuesday in February.
Whether we’re talking about New Year’s Resolutions or any other goals, it doesn’t matter when you start—only that you start.
Author friends, how are you feeling about your writing life in 2022? Drop me a line or share in the comments below.