Let's say that you're going to sharpen your knife once per quarter as a simple achievable goal that will get you out of your comfort zone. What should you look into so your learning is as diverse and useful as possible?

Books - One of the oldest ways to learn about any craft is books. It's not a surprise and it's something that you're comfortable with, so it's a great goal for quarter one. Read a book about your craft, perhaps it's about a particular part of your craft. If you write read a book about writing romance, or writing detective stories, or writing in first person. Any of these are great ways to expand your knowledge and sharpen the knife.

Software - Now, bare with me here because if you're working with oil paints there aren't that many software's that are going to help you with your craft. Instead perhaps this should be called 'try a new tool'. Still, if you're a writer then I don't mean a writing tool! I mean a tool that will help you with the physical writing, not first person or third person or 'hanging a lantern on it'. Try Aeon Timeline, try Scrivner, try 4thewords. All three of them allow for a one month free trial and all three of them are vastly useful in different parts of writing. 

Tracing - Most who draw start to learn by tracing over the art of another. It's a wonderful way to learn about proportions and what goes where and why someone did what they did. Therefore looking at a new style of writing or drawing or music and trying it out by doing a simple trace can be a great way to expand your craft! Be careful not to try to make money off of a direct trace of someone else's work, but as an exercise it's vastly useful. 

Classes - A class where they give you material and guidance towards learning a new skill including some amount of trying to implement said skill. I find this to be a wonderful way to learn new skills because there are additional people learning with me at the same time. Just like with NaNo when people are taking on the same challenges it seems that much easier to overcome, and if there are difficulties with trying to learn there are many people who can help at any time. 
​
I would absolutely recommend a combination of all of these approaches, kinda like using different whet stones in order to get the finest edge on your blade.

For those tuning into this round my master goals list is here. The list of everyone participating in this round is here. 

AFTER ACTION REVIEW
Took Monday off of work to finish recovering from my weekend cold. It was definitely helpful/needed since I finally got rid of the deep cough. It also meant that I specifically choose to not exercise on Monday to help with the recovery. Instead I did some gaming and reading and some of my milder computer tasks. It worked out well since that meant that I had more time today to focus on the more important stuff. 

The key to this format is listening to my body and flexibility in the schedule. Having the due dates at all just keeps them on the calendar, making sure they get rescheduled when they don't get done. Which is to say that it's all going well!

Happily completed two of my bigger projects! 

The planned to be completed this week project was finishing going through my backlog of SS, reading them fresh, and putting together an editing plan for each. The idea is that I'll know what the stories are like currently, instead of the rose tinted version from in my head. I'll also know what they need to get fixed. Editing is a skill that I honed a lot in the last two years so applying it to older works just makes sense. This is also a basic way of keeping an inventory in my head of what SS can be sent out. The next steps are to find places to send one of these stories, and then with a deadline/motivation, do the edits and send it out. I'm excited to finish this fairly major step, and without any angst/anxiety. 

The other was my upcycling project, which I was worried about completing on time last week. Well, I decided that since I was still missing a number of the parts needed for previously planned projects I should look into a new one. I have a handful of old picture frames that I'm looking to do something with. (That something might end up being putting photos in them.) But some of them aren't my style anyways. So I started to look up options and found one that I already had all of the supplies for! Simple yet effective, I emptied a frame then staple gunned some screen to the back, and bam! Earring holder! I love projects like this, both useful and beautiful! 

All basic minigoals completed, no stretch goals done since I'm still recovering from the cold and my energy/brain levels are low. I did some active thinking about the new SS, but nothing that resembles a plot yet. 

MINIGOALS - In priority order
Record 1 SS. Stretch goal for more. 

Edit 1 SS. Stretch goal for all recorded.

Revise post and post about artist in new location.

1 wiki update. Stretch goal for more. 

1 activism activity. No stretch. 

Continue thinking about plot/outline for new SS.   

If you're going to be the best in your craft then you have to keep on top of the newest information. If you're a doctor you have to do continuing education classes every year in order to keep your license.

Should everyone else do the same when they aren't required to? Yes, absolutely!

One never knows when a new software might make life that much easier or when a new way of creating magic systems comes out that is eons better for you and your writing style. Not only that learning about a new way to help get good feedback from a beta reader or write up instructions for doing a task might not work for you, but will be a perfect fit for a friend who needs advice down the road. Having a variety of ways to approach the same problem is helpful because you never know which one will be the best fit for the job.

Let's say you need to replace the batteries on a toy. The battery holder is held there by a + screw. You always use a - screwdriver because that's what you can easily find in your house, and it will totally work. It won't be as easy and it might strip the screw, but you will get those batteries replaced and hand the toy back to the child. The process would be easier with a + screwdriver. Even though you might say 'I already have a screwdriver' and avoid having to get and learn how to use something new, it could save tons of time and effort in the future. 
​
Just like learning about a new screwdriver that's a better tool for certain situations, learning new ways to perform your craft is absolutely something that everyone should do. If you're ambitious then trying out one new thing a month would be great way to expand, though one every three months could work too. It depends on you and your speed of learning, and how much time you have to dedicate to your craft in the first place.

​What will you be learning next?

For those tuning into this round my master goals list is here. The list of everyone participating in this round is here. 

AFTER ACTION REVIEW
I mostly kept to the weekly schedule proper which is lovely, but I got sick starting around lunch on Friday and have been coughing/weezing since. (There were also midday headaches on Tue and Wed, which might have been related and certainly didn't help with getting work done.) This meant that few of the minigoals got done. I think that's ok, I've been ahead of the game so far, and taking two days to recover is more important than pushing myself. (Look at me listening to my body and avoiding burnout!) 

MINIGOALS
Read the final short story and make a plan for editing! (This one took a bit of hunting to find, but I knew that I had written it and after cleaning up some computer files I found it and my writing folders are easier to navigate!) 

Record 1 SS audio. I'd like to do more, but with the coughing I've been doing it might be silly to push it. Perhaps I'll do a couple of the shorter poetry pieces as a stretch goal?

Edit 1 SS audio. Stretch goal to edit all pieces that were recorded. 

Post in 1 new location about artist for CC. 

Start thinking up plot/outline for short story for anthology. 

​For those tuning into this round my master goals list is here. The list of everyone participating in this round is here. 

AFTER ACTION REVIEW
A pretty successful week so far. Moving the schedule back a day seems to work well with my natural rhythm for the week. The biggest thing I'm worried about is getting a upcycling project finished in the month. I'll make it a priority for the next checkin and we'll see how it goes! There's also been a lot going on at work so that's been affecting my energy levels at home. I'm glad that I made the big strides at the start of the round, so that I'm well on my way to success now!

New No Meat Recipe - I had a late meeting at work which included dinner. I was going to do a meatless dinner today but didn't have time and the SO offered to cook. I decided to take the offer and forgo the goal for this week. One has to choose their battles. 

Minigoal checkin - Completed one wiki update. As this was the first one it took the longest, and since all updates will take research these will not be getting updated as fast as the reviews were. Still, I feel like I'm making much more of a contribution. I found the list of articles that need more information in the chemistry field, so it's a great way for me to use and expand my expertise! I posted in a FB group about me looking for an artist. I edited a SS and recorded another already. I'm enjoying it more than I expected! 

MINIGOALS
Easy:
Respond to one email about workshop scheduling. Send one email about scheduling workshops.

Post in one new location about artist for CC.

Research investing.

Schedule one blog post.

​Priority:
​Print three SS. Stretch goal to read and write down needed edits. 

Edit 1 SS audio. Stretch for 2.

Record 1 SS audio. Stretch for 2.

Get to next major step in upcycling project.

For those tuning into this round my master goals list is here. The list of everyone participating in this round is here. 

It's a new year and I have a new format for my goals/check-ins. It's much more visually based, which I'm hoping will make it easier to track and see any gaps/issues. I'm going to continue with my after action review and mini-goals, like before. I'll only comment on things that need a change or are having an issue, going from top to bottom.

AFTER ACTION REVIEW
As you can see by all of the green above this week went super well, except that everything was a bit later than scheduled. I adjusted the schedule for the coming week to reflect this, so hopefully everything aligns pretty nicely. Overall I'm really enjoying not having a ton of specific hard set deadlines. Being able to look over this graphic and choose what to work on next is a lovely freedom, and allows me to choose what I'm most ready for at the time. Often this means that I get more out of research or instead of doing one review a week I'll do three in one sitting. 

Exercise - There were a lot of days this week when I was close to my goals but didn't quite make it all the way there. Since I was training people at work, which is particularly draining and physically more demanding. (Lots of standing and presenting.) I decided to not worry about it as much. This week I'll refocus and try again! (Starting with some shoveling.) 

Random Updates - For movie night I watched "Shape of Water" which was absolutely amazing. I loved it and have been thinking about it since. For the Masterclass I had finished listening to the Aaron Sorkin class (which was solid but not much new) so I went through at double speed to take some notes and now consider this complete for this month. There are a lot of options, both writing related and otherwise, so I don't know which one to take next. 

I finished my Amazon reviews in one go as I'm still in a bit of a review mode from doing all of those Google Map updates. The next one will be a bit more time consuming, as it's Wikipedia updates which involve some research. I finally got to posting a blog post that wasn't a ROW80 post! I think that's the first time in about a year and I'm excited to end that streak. Hopefully now that there's one done the rest will get easier and easier.

I did post about an artist for CC in another location. I've gotten one response but I didn't think that their art style would work well for the story. I read four short stories and made plans for editing. I'm going to look over the other short stories I have in the works before starting to actually implement any edits. (Plus I already have my SS out for Jan and Feb, so there's no rush.)

Lastly I DID do the research on narrating audiobooks. It's mostly understandable and doable, so I did another test run and was able to record one whole story. With the proper microphone it recorded well and I didn't mind listening to myself back on the recording, which is good since there is going to be quite a bit of editing. 

MINIGOALS
Do one wikipedia update.

Post in one new location about artist for CC.

Edit the SS I recorded this weekend.

Record one more SS. 

When making gravy from scratch you start with the chicken juice that has come off when cooking. It mixes in with the onion and celery, the two most flavorful and smell educing plants ever used in the kitchen soup stock. They combine with the salt and pepper that didn't quite make it onto the chicken to give you the base of the gravy. Then you warm it up to just below a boil before mixing in the flour (or corn starch to keep it gluten free). Which thickens it up. 

Once it's the right consistency you taste it and then, well then it depends.

Is it bland? Add salt, if that doesn't help then add some butter. Is it too salty? Better to even it out with some heavy cream. Perhaps it's not thick enough, better add more flour. 

See, that's the art of it, knowing what needs to get added or tempered out from a base that will be different every single time, in order to always get to the same ending taste that you crave for. If gravy were a science then it would be exactly the same. The taste when it came off of the chicken would be the same and the same amount of flour would be added and the salt would be perfect every time because it would stick to the chicken just so.

But it's not.

Gravy is a simpler example of every craft, both in its frustrations and it's process. There have been numerous times were I stood there adding different ingredient after different ingredient, knowing that it just didn't taste right but not knowing what to add to make it better. In the exact same way editing involves round upon round of tasting the writing, seeing if the characters work, asking others to try the soup, before realizing that this was the exact taste you were looking for, and the taste that they were looking for, and perhaps people would be willing to buy that alphabet soup.

​For those tuning into this round my master goals list is here. The list of everyone participating in this round is here. 

It's a new year and I have a new format for my goals/check-ins. It's much more visually based, which I'm hoping will make it easier to track and see any gaps/issues. I'm going to continue with my after action review and mini-goals, like before. I'll only comment on things that need a change or are having an issue, going from top to bottom.

AFTER ACTION REVIEW
Generally a good week, though everything is running about a day later than planned. I think that's more about my scheduling, and trying to fit too much into Tuesdays. I'll move the online work back to Wednesday next week as see how that goes. 

Those with a keen eye will see that the Feb short story was completed. It's actually a super bonus achieve because instead of editing an old short story to send out I wrote a completely new one and sent it out 20 minutes before the deadline. 

I also finished all of the Google Reviews for my Japan trip. The last ones didn't end up being as many since they were misattributed locations by Google. Or I wasn't at the location long enough to give an 
accurate review. Still, that was a much bigger goal than I originally intended for it to be and I'm happy, and a little personally pleased, to get the Google Map reviews and specific Japan reviews, completed. 

Overall improvement wise I think a little more focus on the Jan goals would be nice, but I should be able to make more progress on that this weekend. Mostly they need a little followup, not oodles of time/effort on my part. That being said all of the minigoals from last checkin were completed! Small steps for the win!

MINIGOALS
Finish next major steps of upcycling project I'm working on and post some progress pictures. 

Read over 1 to 3 short stories and put together plans for editing.

Post in 1 to 2 more locations looking for artist. 

Major focus on audiobook requirements and doability, 

Start writing up Amazon reviews. 

For those tuning into this round my master goals list is here. The list of everyone participating in this round is here. 

It's a new year and I have a new format for my goals/check-ins. It's much more visually based, which I'm hoping will make it easier to track and see any gaps/issues. I'm going to continue with my after action review and mini-goals, like before. I'll only comment on things that need a change or are having an issue, going from top to bottom.

AFTER ACTION REVIEW
Exercise still isn’t going stellar. Not sure that there’s a ton to do about that other than to keep at it. I’m still getting used to the new goals so perhaps another week or so will make everything get into the groove.
 
Movie night worked out well on Wednesday since I was too brain fuzzy after work to do much of anything else. Perhaps I’ll be keeping it there?
 
Blog post I think I just need to sit down and do a jam session for it. Perhaps instead of having it be a weekly thing I think about it needs to be one of the things that I do a 13 count of….. actually that’s a great idea. I’ll move it around for the next check in!
 
I posted about an artist for CC and got no interest at all. I did randomly find a tweet from someone I follow about a FB group that does something similar, so I’ll post there this week and keep at it. I took 30minutes to do a full writeup, so posting at any new places will be much faster/easier.
 
Investing I did some research in, which mostly led to more questions. That's ok, profess has been started!
 
 
MINIGOALS
Finish the Japan Google Map reviews. (At least this time I'm writing down the goal.)

Post in at least one, up to three, places about getting an artist for CC.

 20 more minutes of research in investing.

Send out additional short story during the open time frame.
​
Send four emails about workshops and author reading setups. 

For those tuning into this round my master goals list is here. The list of everyone participating in this round is here. 

It's a new year and I have a new format for my goals/check-ins. It's much more visually based, which I'm hoping will make it easier to track and see any gaps/issues. I'm going to continue with my after action review and mini-goals, like before. I'll only comment on things that need a change or are having an issue, going from top to bottom.

AFTER ACTION REVIEW
Exercise - Moving exercise before changing for the day definitely helped on Tuesday. Monday I got to into the thing flings and didn't have enough time to exercise afterwords. Today was really busy at work and I'm rewarding myself by not exercising. I'll keep at it with the current setup for now and see if things even out.

Thing Flinging - Massive overachieve here, particularly in the basement. Kinda makes up for last week, which shows that having this on Monday was probably a good move.

New No Meat Recipe - Tried squash onion soup from squash I got at the farmers market and an onion I already had in the house. It needed some additional spices varied from the recipe, but was otherwise pretty delish.

Movie Night - Should be making up for it tonight, a little later than scheduled but should still be successful. 

Short Story - Completed a read through, edits, and putting the edits into the computer document. Found a place to send it to which opens for submissions next week so this is on track. 

Google Map Reviews - Sooooooo, about this. I had a kinda unwritten internal goal to write a review for all of the places we went to while vacationing in Japan. I had a separate goal that I did admit to and wrote down to help the community by writing online reviews. I know that I wanted the physical goal to be 52 reviews for the year, so that would be one a week. It seemed particularly reasonable to me. I did not realize how many places we went to while in Japan and how unreasonable that unstated goal might be. So, I'm not sure if I want to try to finish the Japan locations goal, or simply stop at 52 reviews since that was my goal for the year. We'll see what the next week brings.

Artist for CC - Found the note about places to post. 

Phone + Loan - Followup emails sent.

Audiobook - Did a test run for recording. Did not do research or take notes on undid research.


MINIGOALS for Monthly Goals
Artist for CC - Make posts at the locations.

Investing - Do 2-20minute sessions of research. 

Short Stories - Read another one and make plans. Stretch goal for two. Super stretch of three. 

Audiobook - Research best practices and take notes with the intention of a class later on.