Year in Writing - Motivation & Accomplishment for Writers

Year in Writing Journal Activity - Motivation & Accomplishment for Writers

If you haven’t already, I HIGHLY recommend doing a year-in-review type journal entry or blog post. It helps you review everything that you’ve accomplished during the year (and when I do it, I’m always pleasantly surprised at how much I’ve been able to accomplish because it’s always more than I thought!). It gives a great motivational boost moving into the new year and gives you a sense of accomplishment.

I tried this out because I got to a point where I was thinking that I wasn’t doing enough. I felt unsatisfied every month because I didn’t feel like I had accomplished much. So, I called my own bluff! Starting last year, I started tracking what I was actually accomplishing every month, and then doing a year-in-review post at the end of the year.

Ever since I made one at the end of last year (2020), it worked so well and I felt so accomplished and motivated that I decided I was going to keep making them. I’m making one for the end of this year, too. (You can actually find it here.)

It can be hard to remember everything that you’ve accomplished during the year, so I like to log what I accomplish every month. Here’s what that tends to look like, ft. the last few months of 2021:

 

I usually do this on a big poster paper that I hang in my room, and every time I accomplish something I add it to my poster. (I like making it colorful because pops of color are nice to visually look at, too.) At the end of the year, it feels great to look at the poster and see how much I’ve done (plus, by doing it like this, you can get that motivational boost each month!).

You don’t have to do it like that, of course. You can just log things into a bullet journal, or a calendar app, if you prefer. Or you can use your notes app or a spreadsheet or a word document or whatever works for you to help you keep track of how you’re doing.

I like to keep track of specific dates, so that’s something I try to do. I also sometimes like to keep track of how many words I was able to write per month for a specific project, so I’ll do that sometimes, too. Do what works for you. That might take some trial and error, but with every attempt, you get closer to understanding what your writing process looks like and what motivates you to keep going!

Thought I would share this because it has helped me keep up my motivation and quiet that voice in my head that tells me I’m not doing enough, so I hope this helps your motivation, too!

EDIT: As of Dec 31 2021, I have decided to create and release a digital reflection and productivity journal for 2022, using custom patterns and designs. Learn more about it in this blog post. You can check out the free January 2022 journal sample here (Google Drive link), and you can also find the full journal out soon on my shop.

~⭐~

Check out my psychological thriller Apartment. Add it to your TBR on Goodreads!

Grab the 2022 Reflection & Productivity Journal here for $2.00! Try out a full-month sample free here!

 

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