Ah, what a lovely list

I like this week between Christmas and New Year’s Day because it’s when I make my goals for the next year. It’s when I take stock of what I’ve done the past year and decide what I want to accomplish in the next 12 months in several areas – writing, personal improvement, home improvement, and entertainment/fun. This week of planning is just an extension of who I am the rest of the year. Hi, my name is Trish, and I’m a list maker.

My list making began when I started school (as in first grade). I made daily lists of what homework I needed to complete, what I needed to take to school the next day, and what I wanted to wear each day. These lists grew in complexity as I progressed through school. I eventually added calendars and daily planners. Okay, this is really nerdy, but I still like the look and feel of a fresh new daily planner. They have to show a week at a time, and the paper can’t be slick. I hate it when ink smears on glossy paper. I also enjoy printing off blank monthly calendars from the Internet too and plotting my daily writing progress, deadlines, blog dates, etc. There’s a nice sense of accomplishment when I’m able to check off one of those items as completed.

And you know what’s the coolest thing currently residing within the crisp pages of my new 2008 planner? My very first book release date! Come next September, my first Harlequin American will hit shelves. I might pass out from excitement. But in the meantime, I have to write in deadlines for my second American and my second young adult book. Let’s just say, my winter is going to be busy. But it’s definitely a good kind of busy.

So, are you a list maker? Do you enjoy setting goals for a new year? What are some of your goals for 2008?