At the beginning of the year, the hosts of my favorite podcast (The Mando Method) publicly announced their goals for 2019. Hosts Armand Rosamilia and Chuck Buda encouraged listeners to set and announce their own goals, which I, among others, did.
Now it’s time to face the music. How well have I done on the goals I set in January? Here we go:
- Word count goal: 210K. Mid-year actual: 40,875.
- Continue to release 6 things per month on Patreon. Actual: I did it for about 2 months then killed my Patreon page.
- Releases: 4 (2 albums, 1 book, 1 interactive story). Actual: 1 album released (Mask: Persona). 2 books finished but not yet released, 1 album halfway done, interactive story just barely started.
- Submissions to anthologies/magazines: 24. Actual: 12. But one submission was a chapbook of 33 poems. Bonus: I’ve gotten 4 acceptances published in 2 magazines so far this year (Horror Sleaze Trash & The Sirens Call)!
- Edit & polish: the novella I finished last year, The Black Circle, to submit to publisher. Actual: I haven’t worked on this at all.
- Get more subscribers on Patreon, whatever sorcery it takes. Actual: Negative (see number 2 above).
So, I’m right on target with releases and submissions, but way behind on everything else. I can cite all kinds of excuses – health concerns, the perils of home-ownership, struggling to settle into a day job/freelance work, setting unrealistic goals, some combination of all the above…
Nobody said this would be easy. I have fallen short on some of my goals, but I am also proud of what I have accomplished. The year is only half over. Let’s keep at it, adjust battle plans according to reality, and see where the next six months takes us!
How about you? How are you doing on your 2019 goals so far?
Joseph VanBuren 
On reading 50 books, I’m doing okay on there. Although a lot of those have been comic books. I’m on course to hit my minimum of one release this year. I am well behind on my minimum word count target though. To hit my minimum target of 20,000 words a month for the year I’ve to to write 1000 words a day till the end of the year.
You’re doing well, Dude. Is this the first year you’ve set goals?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, man. It’s the first year I have publicly announced my goals. Word counts are rough, especially since some if mine is poetry.
Sounds like you are doing pretty well, too. Keep it up!
LikeLike