Weekly Goals

Right, first goal setting for the year, and I can already tell that it is going to be a tough year. Or, at least one where I will have to buckle in if I want to achieve all my goals.

I looked over my quantitive data for 2025 (and the years prior), stuff like how many words I am producing and how many days I did not do any writing. And I have looked at the qualititive data, as in, how my current stories compares to earlier stories, and what my publication schedule looks like. And it looks like I need to improve in several areas.

I definitely need to write more words. Primarily, that needs to happen by cutting down on the days which no writing is taking place. Because at the same time, I also need focus on the quality of my writing. I need to take my writing up a level or ten if I want to have a chance of getting published in the bigger SF&F magazines. That probably means slower, more focused writing, while also spending more time on reading.

And, of course, I also want to get in shape (because who doesn't after the holidays).

So yeah... Anyways, here are the weekly goals that I've setup to help me get started. It's a long list, and a lot of them will probably repeat from one week to another, because these are things I need to keep in focus throughout the year.


Core Goals

Write, edit, or outline every weekday: Same number one priority as always. Stay consistent.

Get exercise: Periodically, I have done quite okay with this goal, so I just need to keep it up throughout the year. The goal is 2-3 high intensity training sessions and some light exercise in the in between days.

Eat healthier: I need to get back into the habit of not snacking, at least outside the weekend. And when I do snack, I need keep it to low amounts. And finally, I need to focus on not overeating during regular meals.

Read with intention: This is one of my new goals. I know, it's a pretty vague goal, but I don't know how else to put it. The point is to remind myself that I need to read with an intention of learning and think about what works/doesn't work in a given story.

Focus while writing: Another new goal. Again, also very vague goal but clearly one I need. I have to stay more focused while writing, either by blocking out distractions (like the internet), using the pomodorro technique, and/oor or avoiding multitasking.


Stretch Goals

Do a WYRM review: Another semi regular goal I hope to be able to maintain throughout the year this time. Especially since critiquing stories is definitely one of those things that can help improve the quality of my own writing.

Write, edit, or outline every day: This really just an add-on to my number 1 goal, but I want to keep my focus on doing writing-related activities during the weekend as well.

Do writing exercises : Aside from my short stories, I also want to keep doing writing exercises once in a while to help me work on my weaknesses in writing.

Read short stories: A regular goal from last year. I want to read/listen to at least 3 published short stories.

Read “new” magazines: Once again, I want to force myself to read stories outside of my regular venues (Flash Fiction Online, Clarkesworld, and Podcastle).

Read/listen to non-fiction: This goal is meant to help do light research and get information from the real world which might spark more original story ideas than the ideas I derive from already published sotries. I need to read/listen to podcast/chapters about at least 3 different non-fiction subjects. Ideally, they will also be different sources, different podcasts/books.

Do review blog post: I have a blog post with short story reviews I need to complete and post.

Do year-end/start posts: Both in Codex and on my blog, there are some year-end recaps and goals for 2026 I want to post about. I don't plan on having them done this week, but I need to start working on them.

Submit short stories: Whenever I have stories ready for submission, they need to go out.

Do Fantasticon work: Con activities are ramping up, so I need to do my part. This time it is primarily social media stuff and contacting one of the Guests of Honors.