Giving Yourself an Annual Review
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 First of all, thanks everyone so much for weighing in on the post on burn out from last week. What an interesting discussion it turned into, and I, for one, felt re-energized just knowing that others were out there echoing my feelings and sentiments.
One writer who did as much is Theo Pauline Nestor, and she took to her own blog to discuss it. And I wanted to draw attention to that post today because I really, really love what she did: namely, she gave herself an annual review, and discovered that she's actually accomplished a lot more than she realized. Which is something that I think can be really inspiring when you're looking for a way to reboot and self-start.
I've been feeling really blah, but you know what? I've got a hell of a lot done this year - run this blog, run my blog for Parents.com, interviewed and profiled countless celebs, adapted a screenplay, broke into the movie world by landing a new screenplay gig, marketed the paperback of The One That I Want, finished up the edits on The Song Remains The Same...and I'm sure plenty of other things. No wonder I'm so freaking tired. Oh yeah: also, I have two kids, a dog, and a household that I'm more or less in charge of.
I bet if you click over to Theo's blog and go over her check-list, you'll see that you've accomplished a lot more than you realized too. What a great thing. I'm going to check back in on this every year and use it as a tool to remind myself that I'm productive, even when I think I'm not, and alternatively, if I actually discover that I'm being wasteful with my time, I can use it as a resource to be more efficient.
Check it out and enjoy!
Reader Comments (7)
I read the earlier post with interest. As a newly published author, the biggest surprise has been to discover that the work doesn't stop once the book is written. In fact, as long as I want that book to go on selling, I can't ever see an end to it! Luckily I enjoy my efforts trying to promote my book, looking for interesting and topical angles to write about, though it can be soul-destroying at times. Congratulations on all your achievements this year, Allison! And now I'm going to take a look at Theo's blog.
I really enjoyed Theo's blog post and list of questions -- and I'll be doing my self-review later! Thanks for a great link. I have a (non-writer, self-employed) friend who I meet with once a year and we review where we are, what our goals are for the coming year, in a very fun way. It's a great way to talk things over and bounce ideas off another person to figure out direction and accomplishments!
Thanks for linking to the checklist. I think this annual review idea is a brilliant one. Our industry is so subjective and hard to measure, so it's important that we learn to give ourselves credit when it's due.
I haven't read Theo's blog yet, but what a great idea! Preparing this kind of list can also help people get from feeling down in the dumps from all the rejection :-). Yeah, so I've been rejected by another agent, but I wrote a great article for a magazine, etc. etc. Thanks, Allison!
This is fantastic. Allison I loved your post on burnout...so true. And you're right...Theo's idea of an annual review is energizing. Am printing off her questions & planning a meeting w/myself tonight :)
I hope your review helped with your burnout, Allison. It certainly seems like you accomplished a lot this year!
What a great list. Thanks Allison and Theo. These are the key questions every writer should ask. It's a great reality check.