May 2015

1) Eat healthier – no going on a diet but to watch portion size, try to make sure I get my five a day and to make healthier choices where I can. I also bought a smoothie maker in an attempt to help with this one.

Nope done terribly at this one this month especially with the number of times the monsters birthday was celebrated with various family members.  Daughters birthday this month but should do better as we are doing shopping and lunch out and will probably see lots of clothes I want but can’t fit in so that should motivate me.

2) Exercise more – I want to try to exercise at least 4 times a week, starting with 10-15mins and building up to at least one hour session and the others at 30mins. Before I have tried for too much to soon ended up in pain then quit.

Not been doing ‘proper’ exercise but have made more of an effort to be active on days I don’t work and move about more while I am at work but need to start doing more if I have any chance of hitting my target for the year.

3) Write everyday – I intend to spend at least 30mins of every day writing, be it on here or in my journal. Most days will of course involve a lot longer and working on my books or other pieces but even on the busiest of days I need to make that small amount of time count.

Yes I have done this with the exception of one or two days when family stuff took priority. I am pleased wit how things are coming along but more next month on that. What I was not very good at was keeping track of my writing.

4) Daily WIP Progress – although I mention above actually writing every day by this I mean that on days I do not have time to sit and actually write on one of my WIPs then I will still find a way to contribute to it either by having a read through, printing a page off to edit or to make extra notes relating to whatever project I am working on.  Writing is so much more than just getting a story on paper.

Not quite but getting better, strangely at least one of the short stories I started writing for something different is on the verge of being added to Voices so maybe that is the way for me to go to get back into and get it finished, add a couple of new stories.

5) Improve my skin care regime – more of a personal one but time is not on the side of my skin and it does react to weather conditions so especially if I want to feel more comfortable filming vlogs I have  to invest a few  minutes each morning and bedtime.

I am getting better at this but still have a way to go but I have also been suffering from really bad skin this month and am really considering buying the ridiculously expensive moisturiser from last months Glossybox.

6 ) Publish VATV – to be fair this would be done already had the computer not died but now it will be a case of hoping that my dropbox had updated properly but I know I do have 9 stories fully edited on hard copy that can be typed back up and the other stories will be saved in some form, I will set a new released date as soon as I have the new computer in my possession and set up.

I almost feel guilty even still having to say this but all I can say is we are getting closer I promise.

7) Publish Queen of Ages – another project which stalled, but as soon as Voices is out I intend to start another edit run on the first  part of my trilogy and get stuck into to writing the second part which I also intend to be out before the end of thd year.  Had technical issues not meant the delay to Voices I would have gone for all three within the year.

Still not got anywhere with submitting but feeling really positive and will be giving the manuscript a technical overhaul before I send it anywhere else so it looks more professional.

8) Catch up on my emails – that should be catch up and keep up, as many of you have been aware I have made a good start on this one while tryinb to recover from flu but if you have not had a flood of extra likes on posts from last year it does not mean I have not read and enjoyed them but I did read some in my email inbox and others the like button just would not work on this silly touch screen tablet.

My inbox is still empty though there is still a backlog of Youtube videos and Podcasts for me to watch and listen to plus loads of shows recorded on my TiVo boxbut they can waiting as writing comes first.

9) Use scheduling better – I normally prepare blog posts and a number of Facebook posts in advance then schedule them to go live at certain times,  I want to work on being more consistent at this however I confess I am finding it hard to do on the tablet so that may have to wait for the computer as well.

I am getting better at this though I do need to be more consistent I am still guilty of leaving blog posts until the last minute, some such as the vlogs cannot be done till the last minute but others such as book reviews could be done and scheduled as soon as I finish the book and that is something I need to work on especially for times when I may be going AWOL for a few days, more about that in a question or two.

10) Put myself first more – I have discussed this in part previously but there is more to it which I will go into at a later date more. So often we are too worried to say no, too afraid of hurting others feelings but the fact is you can only be treated like a doormat if you lie down for people to walk over.

I am definitely getting better at this one and am almost at a point where I no longer feel guilty saying no to people. I am starting to feel more confident on the whole which I know lots of people would be shocked to hear me say as I am very good at faking it but various events over the last few years have left me questioning my sanity, judgement and ability to do anything.

11) Get out and about more – finances dictate that I cannot go off on crazy adventures every weekend but I want to make sure I fit in 4 away days and see at least two shows at the theatre this year.

I have dragged myself back to the keyboard after dancing around the room about this, something I seem to be doing everyday lol.  My daughter has booked for herself the monster and I to go to the Doctor Who Festival in November, not only is it something to look forward to but it is also serving as a goal for my weight loss as obviously I want to take lots of photos but also to be in some and it would be nice to not feel like I hate them and chop them all off at head height.

12) Have faith in my writing – I am determined as well as the larger projects to create one extra short story a month and to submit it to market.

Still not heard back on my last submission, another short story I was writing for general submission ended up as a possible extra addition to Voices so we shall try to write something different this month.