Hasta La Ideas

As the year starts to wind down, I start dreaming about all the things that I’d like to do in the following year. At that point, the new year exists in the future as an ideal, a fantasy… In my mind, I say, “In the new year, I’ll have more time to do X, Y and Z. In the new year, I’ll have systems A, B and C in place to ease my workload.” It’s a soothing thought to think that the new year will bring a fresh start, a clean slate. Especially at such a busy time for my business—with managing the surge in Christmas orders and subscriptions, there’s also a magazine to edit and design and get to the printer before the holidays. 

This November, I thought I was on my way to getting the X, Y and Z and the A, B and C set up. After considerable thought, planning and diligence, I hired a full time employee. Despite best efforts by all concerned, the person just wasn’t working out and I had to let them go (a few weeks before Christmas! I felt like such a Grinch!!) So rather than ending 2011 with some help and light at the end of the work tunnel, I was going solo once again: editing, designing, shipping, database entry, subscription management… The equivalent of at least two full time jobs in a part-time schedule (I stay at home with my toddler in the mornings). 

And so here is the first of January. (So soon! How did that happen?) The season of resolutions and best intentions. And now begins the really hard work: figuring out how to achieve the ideal. I suspect it is going to take the rest of 2012 to get there.

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A FEW CREATIVE RESOLUTIONS

• improve my handwriting! I have so limited time that when I write anything by hand, my thoughts rush faster than I can write (emailing and typing on the keyboard are the culprits) and my scrawl is just awful. I resolve to make time to slow down, breathe, write and appreciate pen on paper. I will be posting handwritten blog posts as often as I can muster. I suspect that there are many of you who share my desire to improve your handwriting. I invite you to join me in pen posting! Leave a comment if you’d like to join me on this quest.

• more online content. I have no shortage of content to share, but the blog has necessarily had to be ignored at times. I’d like to get back into regular posting as well as sharing more behind the scenes of the magazine process and supplemental content to each new issue. (The bigger project here is a complete revamp of all of my online assets.)

…and of course, more great content for the magazine and future book projects to be announced! 

Happy new year to one and all.