postcard painting of a sunrise over the ocean

Planning 2023

I’m a bit stumped when it comes to planning 2023; there’s a great deal of uncertainty and unpredicatibility coming up for me this year.

Each year when I start planning, I start with some tongue in cheek horoscope reporting, usually checking the predictions again as I review the year. Predictions for the last five years have been mixed.

  • 2018 a year of rebuilding and gradual progress (maybe).
  • 2019 would bring positive change, offering hope for a joyful and focused year (kinda).
  • 2020 if you held true to your goals, youโ€™d enjoy your destiny (mostly true for me).
  • 2021 a 20-year phase of change that might be considered lucky (um, not really).
  • 2022 macro clashes between traditional and innovative views, potentially leading to a society-altering change in power, along with a year that may challenge your ideas of comfort and stability (not for me, but probably the rest of the planet in general).

This year, my queries were marginally more serious, and perhaps because I really do have that much impact on the unvise (that bit’s tongue in cheek), the predictions fall into two camps:

  1. Doom and gloom; war, environmental disaster, famine, economic disaster, social unrest and some kind of cosmic event (comet/solar flare).
  2. You go girl! We’ve been through a growth phase over the last couple of years, and now it’s time to blossom. Stand up, change out, and go get those goals.

For Pisces in particular, 2023 gives us new stability (family, relationships, finances), so as long as we take care of ourselves (health), we can take advatage of all the opportunities that present themselves. Of course if we don’t take care of oursleves, it won’t end nearly as well.

None of which really helps me planning 2023, because there’s house and garden work to be done, all contingent on the first step; constructing the ganny flat. And there’s no certainty on timing, trades or materials for that.

However, while there’s a lot I can’t predict, there are some things I can.

Can’t Predict

  • Construction commencement.
  • The twelve week construction will proceed according to plan and come in on budget and schedule.
  • The rest of the house and garden schedule.

Can Predict

  • Whatever happens outside the library will disrupt my writing life, (even if I canโ€™t predict how much).
  • There are a number workshops that sound interesting scheduled for 2023.
  • Weโ€™ll probably take a week or two off later in the year.
  • There will be usual two week Christmas shut-down.

There’s probably more but I can’t think of it right now.

All of which, kind of leaves me a stumped enough to go back to the beginning.

2023 Vision, Misson and Virtues

Building on last year, my overall vision of Stephen King/Norah Roberts famous still stands.

  • Bestselling author
  • Bunches of awards
  • TV and movie adaptations of books
  • Included in shedloads of anthologies
  • Married to the same person for more than 50/35 years.
  • Reportedly in good health.

Mission

And with the vision the same, I’m going to leave my mission the same because it’s all about the writing.

I am a prolific writer, making a good living. I am lean and healthy, happily married, living in a beautiful house, with a tranquil garden.

Virtues

I didn’t specifically mention my virtues last year because I was reporting on goals, not virtues, but as the 2022 moved on, I’ve kind of defaulted to the original ones.

Beautytaking care of my physical wellbeing and surroundings and living the authentic me.
Friendshiptrust and treat other beings as well as I want to be treated.
Pleasurepursuing activities for their own sake; meeting friends, international vacations, relaxing and recharging.
Wisdomhaving the capacity for choice; challenging my thinking, living intentionally and courageously acting on my convictions.
Wealthfeeling prosperous, having sufficient resources (time or money) to meet my needs and some of my wants.

But Back to the Planning

Last year I planned, and reported, on defined goals for each quarter. On the one hand, the quarters seemed to fly by, but on the other, I monitored them less rigorously as the weeks passed by. Overall, it worked, but I think the goals and key activities weren’t the correct ones.

My mentor, Dean Wesley Smith is having a difficult time of his own right now, and he’s pencilled in some largish goals for this year, and smaller daily goals. I think this approach might work for me.

2023 Goals

So, bearing in mind this year will be unpredictably disrupted, I’m setting some defined, project goals, and some shorter-term keystone activities.

Project Goals

  • Rebrand my businesses.
  • Revitalise the websites.
  • Consolidate the online stores.
  • Finish some of the long-term outstanding items.

Keystone Activities

  • Write at least 50 words each day.
  • Submit 5 stories to high-quality magazines, competitions, awards and anthologies every week.
  • Publish at least one “book” every two months.

These keystone activities don’t exactly link up with the bigger goals, though they do support the overall Stephen King famous goal.

In terms of an unusually unplannable year, I think this is not the worst possible plan for the 2023.

How did you go planning 2023?


Imge by Raphael Tuck & Sons’ “Turneresque” Series 2593 postcard c. 1905 via State Library Victoria


You can find my monthly reports and other planning related information on the Life Worth Living page.

Planning a Life Worth Living

Letโ€™s face it, life is short. If you donโ€™t stop to think about how youโ€™re going to make it count, at the end of the day, it wonโ€™t.

Planning a Life Worth Living applies business techniques to personal concerns. Using these techniques, youโ€™ll get to the end of the year satisfied with what youโ€™ve achieved.

Take a look at how I do my planning.

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3 responses to “Planning 2023”

  1. […] I’ve been thinking about more about my morning routine. Perhaps because there’s been so little else to pin the days on, and the lazy, langourous, sleepy sense of nothing much happening lasts for about 87 hours per […]

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