Almost everyone I spoke to in the run up to the end of the year told the same story: \u201cSo tired.\u201d \u201cBeyond exhausted.\u201d \u201cCan't wait for this year to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n
I was in the same boat, lashed to the mast and hoping the storm would blow itself out. To quote a popular philosopher from an era when the music was, quite simply, so much better (trust me on this, kids), I'd lost my ignorance and didn't know where to find it. I'd even lost my sense of humour. For those who know me, that's like having 90% of my personality deactivated.<\/p>\n
In short, last year happened<\/em> to me. In the few gloriously lazy, hammock-swinging days since then, I've made a decision to ensure this year doesn't do the same. And I think I know how to do it.<\/p>\n As some of you may know (What? You don't know? I thought I told everybody<\/em>. At least twice), I fulfilled a long-held ambition in 2017 by publishing my debut novel<\/a> \u2013 a fast, fun satire of startup culture and digital nomads.<\/p>\n \u2018ShelfLife<\/a>' took a long time to write, mainly because I didn't plan, I thought I could just keep writing it and it would somehow \u2018turn out'. That approach meant I wrote the manuscript maybe two and a half times before realising that I'm much more effective as a \u2018structural writer'. Structural writers have a plan, but they have also something else.<\/p>\n Deciding what your 2018 is going to be like is similar to writing a story \u2013 hard to know where to begin if you don't have a clear idea of how it's going to end.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n And that's the \u2018main takeout' of this piece.<\/p>\n Many people confuse a plan with a set of actions. It's also tempting to start listing things, as it feels more technical, more solid.<\/p>\n We've also been trained, by a bazillion blog posts just like this one, that lists are both important and efficient.<\/p>\n Moving away from the \u2018To Do' list of activities instantly gives your goal more clarity and purpose. For example, saying you want to feel like a leader is better than saying you need to double your staff. Ditching the list also gives you way more freedom and flexibility to find your own \u2018hero's journey' as 2018's antagonists throw obstacles and plot twists at you.<\/p>\n It's a crucial first step, but one that's often missed. Set aside some time to make your plan. Book a meeting with yourself. Go for a lunch. Take a walk with a friend. Can't find a friend? Go for a walk with a voice recorder.<\/p>\n The point here is to recognise that having a shopping list is not the same thing as having a well-stocked fridge. Make sure you give yourself time to go to the shops.<\/p>\n While I admire the work ethic of people who complete NaNoWriMo<\/a>, very few great books get slammed out in a single burst of frenetic activity. The gargantuan size of the task of planning your life (Oh. My. God.) often overwhelms people.<\/p>\n So how do you get started? Break the big thing (become a coder by the end of the year<\/a>) down to a small step (investigate courses<\/a> and make a shortlist) with a deadline (enrol by the end of the month). The next small thing will then become apparent. Go and do that thing. Rinse and repeat.<\/p>\nYour life is a story, great stories follow a plot<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Great writers start at the end<\/strong><\/h2>\n
If you want to be a bit more intentional about where the next chapter of your career\u00a0is going to take you, here's my advice:<\/h4>\n
Forget the list: what do you want the end of the year to feel<\/em> like? <\/strong><\/h2>\n
Plan to have a plan<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Pick the first thing you can do and the first day you can do it by<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Plan on several fronts<\/strong><\/h2>\n