NaNoWriMo Plus Forum

Excellent progress and excellent goals, Dawn. There's so much difference in your life since I last checked in.

My life's changed, too:

1: We finally sold the borderline squalid house (maybe not 'borderline'), so I now need to rid my own house of all the clutter I brought here just to get it out before the buyers went in. I've also stopped buying toys to cheer myself up every time I worked on that house, so I've begun sorting out the ones I won't need again. I now have almost three extra workdays each week so I'll use that time to declutter our shared rooms, make space for my writing and art things, and clear my basement to make room to work on restoring the furniture we want to keep. I also now have time to write and draw, so I've joined Camp NaNoWriMo and started the first draft of my autobiography.

2: My twenty-one-year-old (who's had big anxiety problems) has regained his composure enough for me to consider helping him learn some computer programming. I need to update my knowledge first so I've re-joined an introductory programming course on FutureLearn to help with that - no start date yet, but I've found my notes from the first time I tried it. Also, my son needs to lose weight and get fitter, and I need to keep moving, so we'll go for walks together and possibly do some gardening. And he's asked me to help him tidy and reorganise his room...

3. My Eighteen-year-old's struggled with academic work throughout his education, so he's decided to leave his (music performance) course this summer. Therefore I need to help him to get some work experience so it'll be easier for him to find a paid job. (I might find more paid work for myself, too.) In addition, my son plans to earn money from online animation so I'll recommend a FutureLearn animation course which I've almost completed. (He can help me with my final tasks too, because I need a human puppet to film.) He needs a new, proper bed and there isn't enough space in his (admittedly tiny) bedroom so I'll help him tidy it first.

So, my Spring Goals:
April - Camp NaNoWriMo to start my sort-of autobiography. Complete the tasks for the animation course, with the help of my 18-year-old. Start gardening and walking and talking with my 20-year-old. Help him tidy his room. Clear some of my clutter.
May - Update my computer programming knowledge. Find work experience opportunities. Get more paid work. Clear more of my clutter. Write more chapters of autobiography, and some poems and articles.
June/July - Clear the rest of the clutter out of my cellar/basement, to make room to work on restoring furniture. Maybe paint the walls and make a new window and shelves. Join CampNaNoWriMo and write a first draft novel.
It all looks manageable.