Plan That Project… and Actually Finish It!

Yes, I do plan to write a novel/anthology one day… and actually finish it!

Joanna Maxwell ran this course on Sunday at the NSW Writers Centre and I really enjoyed it. Like the ‘Blogging For Beginners’ course, it was inspiring and useful.

I am one of those people she mentioned who say “I would love to write one day,” but who hadn’t actually had much vision for my writing project. The course helped me work out what my vision actually is and make it more specific and achievable.

As a High School teacher I have had my fair share of training in mindmapping, scaffolding, listing and storyboarding. On Sunday though, I found it interesting to learn about these strategies in the context of my life and my project, independent of the context of teaching, and to see them in a new way.

While in themselves these strategies aren’t particularly serenity-inducing, I’ve been told that if applied properly they can bring about a better quality of life where priorities (the “big rocks”) are both identified and explored… I live in hope!!!

I really enjoyed the mindmapping strategy in particular. As a follow-up to the course, today I decided to combine the things I learnt about Steven Covey’s work, the work of Leo Babauta in ‘The Power of Less’ and mindmapping to creatively explore the “big rocks” in my life and strategies I might use to simplify my work and life, in turn, creating a greater sense of balance and serenity.

I really recommend anyone with the inclination and the Long Service Leave accrued, to take the opportunity to spend some time away from work, clarifying purpose, direction and priorities… it’s well worth the effort!

IDENTIFYING AND MANAGING PRIORITIES: Steven Covey’s “Big Rocks”… very American, but well worth a look!

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