Jumpstart Your Writing Year with These Reset Tips

The holidays are over and it's time to refocus and reset for the coming year. Are you feeling overwhelmed with all of the possibilities? Do you need a break before you get started? A recharge might be what your mind, body, and soul needs in order to jumpstart your work-related goals for 2023.

Starting the year off with a writing reset can be an incredibly powerful way to refocus and jumpstart your writing goals for the upcoming months. Whether you’re a professional writer, a student, or someone who just enjoys dabbling in creative writing, taking time to reset your mindset and approach to writing can provide valuable insight and help keep you motivated. This article will provide helpful tips on how to jumpstart your writing year with a fresh perspective while also staying organized and productive.

Here are my top tips to reset your writing year:

Refresh Your Mental Well-being Refresh Your Mental Well-being

The new year is the perfect time to start fresh and reset. That's why it's important to take care of your mental wellbeing first and foremost. Jumpstarting your writing year can be a daunting task, but with these easy tips, you'll have a clearer mind and improved focus in no time.

Start out by taking some time for yourself - whether that means going for a walk or sitting down with a cup of tea, make sure to give yourself some ‘me’ time everyday. This will help clear your head and provide clarity when it comes to tackling difficult tasks. Being mindful of your well-being is essential in order to get into the right frame of mind for successful writing sessions.

if you have been overwhelmed with activities over the holidays, this is your time to relax, recharge, take a deep breath, go for a walk in the woods to clear your head. Perhaps schedule a massage, watch a good movie in your pajamas, eat the chocolates you got in your stocking (before you start a New Year’s diet.)

If you do not take time to refresh your physical and mental health, you cannot think clearly or creatively. Busyness, stress, and lack of sleep kill our imagination and creativity. You need time to unwind and allow your brain the freedom to dream again, to consider future possibilities, to brainstorm new ideas.

Proper rest can unleash the excitement and motivation for writing again. So be kind to yourself. Do some fun, relaxing, or invigorating things just for you!

Evaluate the Past

As the new year begins, it is essential to evaluate the past and to identify areas for growth. Whether you are writing a novel, a blog post, or a screenplay, taking time to look back on your accomplishments from last year can help motivate yourself for success in 2023. It is important to reflect on what worked well and where improvements can be made in order to jumpstart your writing this year.

A great way to begin evaluating the past is by asking yourself questions about your overall progress and successes. What did you achieve that was successful? How could you have improved on those successes? Answering these questions will provide clarity and insight into how to proceed with your writing this year. After reflecting on last year’s performance, you can use the knowledge gained in order to set realistic goals that will help propel your writing forward.

Did you accomplish your writing goals for the past year?

If yes, rewarding yourself for a job well done is an important part of any successful writing plan.

Celebrating accomplishments not only gives writers something fun and exciting to look forward to, it also boosts morale and keeps them motivated. So if you’ve achieved your writing goals this year, what are some ways you can reward yourself? A great way to celebrate is with something tangible like a treat, small gift or even a day out doing something special; anything that will make you feel proud of your achievements and remind you of why it was worth all the hard work.

If you did not achieve your writing goals, ask yourself why Observe yourself openly and honestly. Be honest with yourself about where and why things went wrong. What were your major obstacles? From how many times did you fall of track? Ask yourself what you could have controlled to minimize your mistakes. You can learn a lot from your experience, which will help you next time. Compare this year’s goals and achievements with last year’s.

Sometimes unexpected things occur, and we must simply accept them. Try your best to get through those situations, as unexpected writing assignments may be delayed during times like these.

But more often, the problem is a weakness within us. Did you waste time indulging in procrastination? Did the lure of instant gratification with some shiny new tool, plugin, or promotion opportunity keep you from actual writing? Did you decide to switch projects, perhaps three or four times, and did not finish anything? Or do you let your life be driven by procrastination? Maybe it is time to take a long, hard look in the mirror and admit that you have a problem. This is not easy. Until we are willing to do so, we will never have the freedom of mind that true writers, who produce great things with ease, enjoy.

Reset your calendar

As the new year approaches, it's time to start planning for the future. Whether you're an aspiring author or a seasoned professional, a great way to set yourself up for success is by getting organized and resetting your writing goals. Before you can do that, however, you need to make sure you have an updated calendar.

Having a new calendar is essential for setting up realistic writing goals and staying on track with them throughout the year. It’s important to note that not all calendars are created equal- look for ones that have plenty of space for jotting down daily activities as well as longer-term plans and reminders. Don’t forget to include deadlines and other important dates in addition to your regular writing schedule! With this system in place, it will be much easier to stay organized and motivated while working towards your writing goals in 2023. Decide whether you want a desk calendar, wall calendar, a new daily-weekly-monthly-yearly planner, or a bullet journal with a calendar that you create. Ideally, you want something that shows more than one month.

• Mark down all relevant birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, vacations, writer conferences, and family events so they do not conflict with your writing schedule. Wark down all relevant birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, vacations, writer conferences and family events in your calendar so they don’t conflict with your writing goals. By doing this early on in the year it helps ensure that any major life events won’t interfere or slow down progress. This will also allow you to plan ahead and give yourself realistic writing goals around these commitments. Whether it be scheduling time off for out-of-town anniversaries or taking into account vacation days for family events - being aware of these dates will save you time and energy later on in the year.
• Consider the fact that you may need some flexibility in your schedule for sick days, unexpected personal emergencies, and for personal time to pursue other creative interests.
• Now here’s the hard part. It’s time to be REALISTIC. On your calendar, what times are available for you to dedicate to writing? Have regular blocks where you nurture your craft. When will you write?
• Considering the writing projects that you have in mind, as well as the marked-up calendar in front of you, when can you realistically expect to finish your project? How much can you get done each week, each month? Are you allowing yourself enough wiggle room to allow for adjustments?

Balance Your personal life and your writing life

It's true that, as a habit, many writers pump out a book without ever leaving their room, but that isn't a healthy option for the rest of us. Most writers need to resolve their conflicting priorities to avoid stress, boredom and health problems or relationship issues.

Whenever you create a new writing schedule or need to write a new writing project, look through your calendar for time slots you are able to write and other ones that you can use to enjoy life, connect with family and friends, and refresh.

Look at your daily activities:

• When will you exercise?
• When will you write?
• When will you engage with social media?
• When will you eat? (Don’t forget to eat lunch!)
• When will you spend time with your family?
• Do you have enough time to rest so you are not always on the go?

How successfully have you balanced your personal and livelihood writing plans over the past few years? What changes can you make right now to establish an even life? Can you write four days per week and use day five to catch up on laundry, shopping, and skin care? You may want to write four days a week and use day five to focus on social media, allowing you to spend the weekend for personal goals.

Create a New Writing Schedule

When you're sure that all of the tips we have discussed are firmly in place and guiding you, it is time to start working on creating a new writing schedule. Did you decide ahead of time the kinds of days that you wanted to work on your writing projects? Did it work out well for you? Do you need to make any changes for the coming year?

Do you need to change your schedule for writing? Do you need to get up an hour earlier so that you can give yourself more time? Or perhaps stay up an hour later so you can write after everyone else in the family goes to bed and all is quiet? Do you need to limit your writing to weekends, so that you can devote time to your work at the day job and your family or other private activities during the week?

If you wrote haphazardly and did not actually schedule time to write on your calendar and stick to it, perhaps you may now want to try using a writing schedule. Every writer is different and each of our lives are different. The key is to find what will work best for you.

Make a Decision on Future Projects

If you are in the middle of writing a novel, you can still use this reset  Are you ahead, behind, or right on target? How can you readjust your calendar or writing time blocks to meet your deadline in the coming year?

 If you have finished a project at the close of this year, you may need to think about what you want to write next. Have you brainstormed your next story idea? Do you know what you want to work on in the coming year? How many books, articles, or blog posts do you want to write? (Remember to consider your calendar to realistically consider what is possible.)

 Also be sure to take time to evaluate where you are in your writing career. Are you where you want to be? If not, what steps can take you to the next level?

• Do you need to build your author platform?
• Or grow your list of email newsletter subscribers?
• Do you need to take a class or online course?
• Do you need to learn more about book promotion?
• Or improve your computer skills?
• Do you need to find an agent?

Choose Which Classes & Conferences to Attend

A writer must keep learning. Continual education is a must. Not only to further develop writing skills, but also to stay sharp. Sometimes busy writers may get stuck in a point and have difficulty trying to rediscover their solution.

Attending classes and conferences is not just about the learning, but also about the networking. Meeting other authors, agents, editors, and marketing gurus is just as important to a book author's career as writing the book itself. The inside information you can potentially hear can open doors of opportunity that you never knew existed.

Considering your calendar, and your writing schedule and potential deadlines, which classes and conferences are feasible and affordable for you to attend in the coming year?

 Sketch Out a Marketing Plan for the New Year

What are you going to do to sell your book(s) in the coming year? What kinds of marketing efforts can you make on a regular basis?

If you are not yet published, will you create an author Facebook Page or set up a website to help build your author platform and build interest for your writing?

If published, what are your plans for book promotion? Do you have a street team to help promote your new book release? How many months in advance will you set up for pre-orders? Are you planning to do any book signings or attend multi-author book events this year? 

You need to again consult that handy-dandy calendar or planner! 

As you can see, there is a lot to think about. However, you can make it work and find success in the coming year if you take the time to relax, refresh, and evaluate both the past, the present, and the future.

Schedule your very own Writing Reset not just once, but perhaps several times throughout the year to make sure that your writing and your life are headed in the right direction.

 If you get off track, just pause, readjust, and start over.

I can't wait to see what you produce in 2023!