Day: September 10, 2015

Tiny Gains Challenge

Lynn

I’m planning to give this a go: The 2015 Tiny Gains Challenge.

I admit I read too many books and blogs like this but I like the guy’s style. His articles are so calm and sensible, and I don’t come away feeling like I’ve been in a sprint. :D If you’ve been reading for any length of time at all, you know there are many things about me and my work habits I want to improve. I’ve tried mini-habits and found at least one habit that has stuck. I’ve maintained that habit for well over a year now.

I’d like to see if this “tiny gains” challenge might help me in some way similar, because I have some habits that I need to develop but the mini-habits I had set up didn’t work out long-term. I’m revisiting that with a new mini-habit of 50 words a day on my fiction, even if it’s not a writing day, but when I tried it for fitness, it didn’t stick. I got so bored and I eventually quit. Making it a challenge might be just the ticket. :D

Of course, I’m setting my own rules. 20 weeks? Forget that. It’s 52 weeks of habit formation for this gal.

So, my first effort at a tiny gain: pushups! I love them. Always have, but I’m not a very fit person. I’m starting at one and doing them 3 x a week (M W F), and not those girly pushups either. By the end of 52 weeks I’ll be at 52 pushups. For a girl as out of shape as me, that’s going to be a real challenge and giving myself 3 days a week to get used to each level seems reasonable.

I’d love to find some way to use this in other ways, but I’ll have to give it some thought.

Frustration

Lynn

My plan today was to write fast. Really fast. 1000 wph fast—or even faster than that. 1200 wph would be great. All I had to do was write, stay focused on writing, hit the zone, and just let the story happen.

Well, what has happened so far is that my zone apparently puts me into the perfection zone. Or the piddle zone. (Not that piddle, the other one.) When I zone, I am often zoning into the story in a specific location and I get stuck there. Time goes by so fast I can’t account for it when I raise my head, but I usually have almost nothing to show for it. Maybe my writing is better where I’ve fit it more firmly to my vision, but the story doesn’t generally move forward.

Anyway. That’s where I’ve spent a lot of my writing time this morning.

After my first session, I am frustrated beyond my ability to handle frustration today. I need a break. I guess I’m lucky it’s noon and lunch time. I get my break.

words time wph
281 55 307

When I come back from my break, I’m going to try to crack the zone again, and this time hit the right one.

Writing is no fun when I’m like this. I’d like it to be fun today.