Writing Experiment: First Report
While I failed to set up my writing experiment like a true scientific experiment, I will still report findings. Don’t expect much scientific procedure with this either. This isn’t science class. It’s writing class (for me anyway). I use the term “experiment” loosely. And with that out of way, I give you my first report.
Step One – Make a Schedule – COMPLETE
Monday – Friday — 2:30 – 4:30 PM
Starting small, because I’m a big believer in baby stepping my way to success, I scheduled two hours a day, Monday-Friday. My best time is afternoon. If you haven’t tracked time, I suggest doing that for a while. I had done that, so I knew I wasted the most productive time in the afternoon. I waste the most time in the evening, but my willpower and decision making abilities are wiped out by then, so it is not productive time. The plan is to use that once I have habits formed during the day, so I’m not so depleted by evening.
Step Two – Find Accountability – COMPLETE
Posting this to the world turned out to be all the accountability I needed. Just in case, I have friends checking in too.
Rewards and penalties are in the works. Since I am a “Questioner” (on the verge of “Rebel”) according to Gretchen Rubin’s The Four Tendencies, rewards are supposed to be a good way to get me to do things, so I will definitely add those. I have a grand penalty of firing myself and getting a job in the outside world if I am a bad employee. How’s that for incentive?
Step Three – Enact Schedule – COMPLETE
I reported for work every day since starting on Wednesday, 10 January.
A – Make A Checklist For Starting Work – IN PROGRESS
I’m now calling this a ritual after thinking back on some of the reading I’ve done. I’ll share more on this another time. I’m still adjusting it.
B – Plan Writing Goals – COMPLETE
In order to avoid procrastinating because I wanted to make it look nice in my bullet journal, I just scribbled these out on a piece of paper and stuffed it in my bullet journal. I’m behind on a couple and ahead on a couple. The ongoing ones are going well.
C – Report Hours – SUSPENDED
Since the accountability is going well, I haven’t felt the need to report.
Step Four – Timeline/Project Planning – NOT STARTED
Other than the goals, on which I did put deadlines, I haven’t done any other project planning.
First Report Analysis
I’m getting positive results so far. I’ll report in another month when the excitement has worn off, and I’m slogging through words with resentment. I’ll make sure I get my penalties done before then. If you want to benefit from those penalties should I need to enforce them, make sure to follow me on my Facebook page and check it every so often. That’s where I’ll post that one of my precious books needs to find a new home, because I’ve been a bad worker. (I originally put bad writer, but that implies I have to write well, and I’m not making that a stipulation of success.)
No book quotes or Minimalism Game. That was tedious, and I don’t think anyone cares. I’ll give a month end review of the Minimalism Game when I’m celebrating not having to do that anymore.