Prioritizing and Narrowing Focus

At the end of August I finished a campaign that had dominated a lot of my free time over the past summer. Though I wasn't the campaign manager of this particular campaign, I was advising the campaign manager and producing all of the written content and branding for the campaign (except in a few very unfortunate mailings that the candidate outsourced to a very partisan consultant).

I learned a lot of things about politics and local government that have made me a lot more jaded on the topic. I may explore some of these lessons either here or in another blog, but suffice it to say, I think that is the last campaign I will be actively involved in for a good while to come. The political arena is too caught up in things that I think are unimportant and unhealthy for a normal, sane, and functioning human being. Immersing oneself overmuch in that cesspool can generate not just a slimy sheen of cynicism, but also a good deal of soul sickness if one lingers.

I don't want that for myself.

So I've been re-prioritizing several elements of my life. Hence I've been maintaining some distance from my blogs and from several other forms of social media. I took a hard look at what I want in my life, at the person I want to be, and the things I want to accomplish. I've started a new diet and committed to going to the gym multiple times a week. I'm trying to improve my overall health. I also want spend more time with people I care about. However, one of the most important things I noted was something that I really shouldn't be overlooking.

I've concluded that for a writer, I don't write enough.

That may sound silly to some of the people that know me. I'm constantly working on some project, writing for clients, and experimenting with writing prompts. I probably put in upwards of 30 hours of writing a week.

That's really not enough.

I waste entirely too much time doing other things that don't contribute to my overall goals. I have projects that desperately need to be finished and developed instead of pushed aside for the latest shiny idea. I need to diversify my writing and publish in multiple arenas. I need to engage in more free-writing with daily prompts to exercise my writing muscles and develop my skills as a story teller. Granted, I'm not trying to build a platform here for any publication or marketing purposes, but I even need to blog more, even if just to get myself pumped and ready to go with my other writing.

So, this is me committing publicly to writing more. I've already done well with my new diet, filling my fridge with fresh produce and lean meats. I'm still sore from my third gym trip in three days, and can't wait to go back tomorrow and attempt this project route I've got on a bouldering wall. I've got plans to catch up several groups of friends over the next few days as well as my family, and I'm hoping to catch up with a few more when I can find a break in my schedule. :)

Now, it's time to write more. I've completed my writing goal for a client and gotten a head start on tomorrow's batch. I've written almost 600 words here, and I've done some research for one of my bigger projects. Tomorrow, before I go to the gym, I'm going to start with a writing prompt or free-write for at least half an hour to get my thoughts going. That way, I can marinate on some ideas while at the gym.

Enough putting off improving myself. I'm starting now.

Leeroy Jenkins!!