Well, missing a post is one reason for me to actually be closer to on time this week. I've been focusing on performing the plan instead of thinking too much about the plan or the progress on the plan etc. 

AFTER ACTION REVIEW
1) Successful party. Not a ton of people, but for a Thursday at midnight quite a lot. I have been keeping up with my 2k a day, plus a little. Didn't make the stretch goal, no surprise really because it was that much of a stretch goal. Did check in with mentees. 

2) Made a lot of progress on the scrapbook on the weekend including changing over to Wix Books and doing a complete outline for it. Haven't made much progress over the week so far as I've been taking care of other things.

3) Read a little bit of "What if?" and enjoyed it.

4) Been playing adventure ring every other day and have been doing pretty good about keeping up with that and my 8k of walking per day. Overall it's what I can fit in while keeping up with my writing goal for the month. 

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INTENTIONS/MINIGOALS
1) Post another crosspost between the forums and FB group. Post update about what the IT team is working on for the website. Write 2k words a day. 

2) Make one scrapbook page a day, in less than 20 minutes. (Or do five at once this weekend, whatever works.)

3) Read a little bit of one of my books.

4) Try to play adventure ring every day. Try to keep up with 8k a day walking. Try to keep up with bringing lunches to work throughout the month.

Still getting into the groove after vacation. That means a lot of jetlag and sleep at weird times. Still, things are getting done in a slow and steady way. Also, thanks the stars for coffee.


AFTER ACTION REVIEW:
Goals:
1)  Started to catch up on ML related activities. This has a lot more to it than it normally would since NaNo has a new website this year that is... lackluster at best and problem causing at worst. Still I made a post on the chat window, updated the links to the actual forums so they were easily findable/readable, updated the picture for the landing page, and updated the intro post on the forums itself.
 
2) Small steps here. Getting everyone from the group to post pictures to the shared Google Drive Folder. Two people have done this already and three more are approved to submit to that folder. Even without those pictures I should be able to start working on the scrapbook this weekend with the 1.5k pictures I took.
 
3) Finished one more book. Kinda feel silly about this progress since I dropped the book more than completed it. But it wasn't working for me, the main characters were bland at best and I wanted to know more about the world and magic system, which I could tell we weren't going to get by the midpoint of the book.
 
4) I managed to pick up groceries and have made at least one meal a day at home. I've been catching up on sleep, so I've been giving myself room to grab a breakfast sandwich or piece of pizza when appropriate. Soon enough I'll get around to completely home cooking, with new recipes.
 

INTENTIONS/MINI-GOALS
Goals:
1) Next up is to start interacting on the forums and crosslinking forum posts on the FB group. Also see about getting my outline printed and start fleshing it out into scenes with scene beats. Probably don't have the time for much else than that.
 
2) Start the scrapbook for Japan. Not sure if I wanna get five pages made, or start working on a more general outline for the whole book before getting into the nitty gritty of the photos and descriptions. It will probably depend on weekend brain power.
 
3) Read the first section of "Feeling Good", one of my personal development books for the quarter.
 
4) Walk eight miles Sat and Sun. (I was walking at least 7 miles every day on my trip and would like to keep up the momentum.) Try one new recipe. Look into that one farm that delivers milk to houses and see if our house can get milk delivery. Also see if they deliver or offer other foods. (No action needs to be taken on that, just initial research.)
 

Hello everyone,

I'm back from my amazing vacation and getting into the groove of things. I basically am missing most of October between traveling and then the recovering from traveling. Then there's the holidays plus NaNo. Thus I know that I can't do my normal 7-8 goals, so I'm aiming for a set of 4 goals that are more reasonable for my time budget.

The goals are currently a bit broad, I'm sure I'll have some more specifics by the next check in. For now I wanted to get them on paper and then out into the world!  

Goals:
1) NaNo - Write 50k novel and be a great ML.

2) Make scrapbook for Japan trip, calendar for Grandma, and then other crafting from already owned materials.

3) Read four books, at least two that are personal development. (This completes my year goal of 52 books.)
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4) Health - gym, home cooking, meal prep, try new recipes, find new/local sources for food.

Cheers,
Shannon

While I lowered the amount of goals reported on recently since this is the round wrap up I'll be responding to the master list I started with.
 
Big Goals:
1) 110% Huge success! The anthology got finished on time and the release itself was the biggest success we've had thus far!
 
2) 66% success. Got a step counter and tracked the 8k a day to the point that it changed the path I took to get places, to get more steps. I also did implement the meal plan and kept to it for the entire round. I did not really ever get to exercising properly, which is the reason this scored a bit low.
 
3) 33% success. I started off strong but really lost the momentum for learning Japanese after realizing I wasn't as fluent as I was hoping to be.
 
Small Goals:
1) Passing with a 75%. I finished the calendar and did watch a couple more episodes of GoT.
 
2) 120%. I read 12 books for fun. While not all of them were from the bookcase I'm not going to count that against me in this, as that's against the spirit of the goal.
 
3) 100%. Read three books with two of them being related to writing. None of them were 'Ask More' which I would like to get back to sooner rather than later.
 
4) 85% I managed a normal amount of yard work, though it needed some more effort than that to get it back to a tamed state. The back door is in the middle of getting replaced and the hot water heater was upgraded. The eBay sales were finished and the packaging taken out. The remaining items still need to find homes, but otherwise things are looking up.
 
5) 66% since i decided on one story and ended up with a good chunk of outline. Did not end up with anything in Aion, though that is still a good next step.
 
Total score is an 82%, which is a reasonable B. Considering the rest of life that has been happening this round that's a super win!

For those tuning into this round my master goals list is here. The list of everyone participating in this round is here. This busy half a week is almost to a close and I'll be able to concentrate on my goals in earnest again.

It's been busy and it's about to get busier. As such I'm going to be proactive about giving myself the time I need to do my goals and start only doing Wednesday checkins for the rest of this round. I might do comment updates on FB for the rest, we'll see how things flow.


AFTER ACTION REVIEW:
1) Interacted with marketing as much as possible. It wasn't every day, but I needed some extra time to relax at home and catch up with myself after an action packed weekend. Caught up with email in the account, again this was delayed during the weekend but overall reasonable. 

2) Mostly hitting 8k, with a few days over that even! Did overdo it while eating out, not going to kid myself, but the foods were good and I think it was worth it,. Most of my decisions were carefully considered, which is really an important part, being mindful. 

3) The library event went quite well! There were five people there and the whole thing was interactive. It was the first time I've used a laptop for this particular presentation, and I think that helped everyone get a  better idea of what to do when NaNo comes. I think I'll continue to use that for all of our upcoming events.

4) It was tough to actually sit my butt down and make the call, but I did it and they'll be visiting the house on Friday. Finally getting this into motion is lovely indeed. 

5) Actually got a ton of planning done for my next NaNo novel! I was starting to do some character descriptions, particularly how the MC is motivated and how their character arc goes. After an hour of small notes and research I felt like I knew what was going on and wrote out a good 1,000 word outline. Surely it'll need to get fleshed out in some areas, but I've very excited that my brain was ready to throw the overarching deal on paper. That means I'm ready to start getting into the meaty details.


INTENTIONS/MINI-GOALS
1) Interacting online as much as possible to make the release as good as it can be. 

2) Hit 8k as much as possible. Pick up groceries today and try to keep to the meal plan as much as reasonable while out and about for the weekend.

3) Prepare for the weekend activities. Pack my car on Thursday so that i can hand off supplies on Friday. 

4) See what happens with the inspection Friday and go from there.

5) Really consider the ending more. As currently written it doesn't hit the note that I was originally intending and I'm not sure if that's good or not. I also need to do a character write up for at least two members of the side group, at least one of the children, and one grandchild. 

For those tuning into this round my master goals list is here. The list of everyone participating in this round is here. This busy half a week is almost to a close and I'll be able to concentrate on my goals in earnest again.

It's been busy and it's about to get busier. As such I'm going to be proactive about giving myself the time I need to do my goals and start only doing Wednesday checkins for the rest of this round. I might do comment updates on FB for the rest, we'll see how things flow.


AFTER ACTION REVIEW:
Big Goals:
1) Success! We put together a major push on the marketing front. We have a dozen preorders which is exciting with the release still two weeks away. We have some more marketing ideas coming up that will hopefully make this number grow. If we could top 100 preorders I would be chuffed indeed. 

2) Success here! I've been putting an extra effort into getting my steps in again. The meal plan has been good, though a little offkilter from so much happening on my part plus veggies from the farmers market that weren't planned for. No worries, just gotta be flexible. I did not exercise, eventually I'll get to it again. 

3) Huge leap here. I found a Google Map that had all Mitchelin star restaurants listed on it. I overlayed it with the maps we had already made for our trip and was about to pick out the five that were particularly close to us. I also sent the map to the friend in charge of scheduling and she'll be adding on places that are easy to get to from where we are. With this resource at our fingertips I think I'm set on this.

On a different note, since this is the review of how the system is working as much as it's a review of how the goal went, this goal is going to be redefined. With how much is happening between now and then end of the round I need a goal that is focused on being ready for the next big activity and this is going to be it. It's now 'the travel' goal. 

In that regard, if I had updated over the weekend i would have put in a goal about making an itinerary for this upcoming weekend when I'll be in Boston. While I didn't write it down officially I did do it and it's already lowering my stress, which will absolutely allow me to enjoy the trip more as a whole. 

Small Goals:
1) This was passed and shall continue to be as such for the rest of the round. 

2) I did try out the new podcast app and don't love it. Might just give it a pass and see if I can't put together my previous app to better suit my needs. I did not read more of the physical book. It's not something I'm really drawn into, even though I do want to read it.

3) I did not finish 'Nine Lies' yet nor start the next book. I've been too busy, including skipping lunch at work. Not a habit I plan to get into, but when it's needed it's needed. I'll try again this round, as long as it's not forgotten it's ok. I've been focusing on the big goals, which is absolutely what I should be doing.

4) First off the final task I have for this goal for this year is actually a big goal, so I'll be moving this to the upper section for the next check in. That goal is to get a new hot water heater in the house. The current one is leaking, and getting worse. I've gotten some leads so far, but I've gotta make some major steps soon if I want this to get done in-between my trips. 

5) Done! While on the way to and from DnD I talked to the SO about this and figured out some more things about the world etc. Still not as character focused as I intended it to be, but I'm hoping that will evolve naturally out of conflict with the world and plot.


INTENTIONS/MINI-GOALS
Big Goals:
1) Interact with marketing daily when I'm home. Do what I can to support the others. Keep up with email. In the home stretch now!

2) 8k a day, even when traveling. Exercise once. Enjoy traveling, but try not to go overboard. I don't have to finish my meal!

3) Prepare for library event that I'm hosting tomorrow. Check over the schedule for the event that's happening next weekend and prepack car for both as possible. 

4) Call someone to get the hot water tank installed. At least get an estimate appointment scheduled. 

Small Goals:
1) Complete.

2) You know what, as I review everything for the round this goal is complete. I'm going to call that good enough for now.

3) Finish 'Nine Lies' and return to coworker. After that this goal is complete as well. Usually I take extra time to get started on the next goal, but I could use the time for just about anything else at the moment. 

4) Moved to big goal.

5) I almost want to call this complete as well, but I know it's not. If I continue to talk about it while going to DnD that would be splendid.

For those tuning into this round my master goals list is here. The list of everyone participating in this round is here. This busy half a week is almost to a close and I'll be able to concentrate on my goals in earnest again.


AFTER ACTION REVIEW:
Big Goals:
1) Completed, though a minor fail as I haven't been keeping to the to do list as much as I should be. Overall I'm not being a great example. (But on the other hand I haven't been home much and have been needing some time to relax and recharge where I'm not doing work stuff. So....)

2) Medium. I've been getting about 6k a day right now. I did get some fresh veg at the farmers market. I also have the grocery list ready to pick up tomorrow. Did not exercise due to the not much time at home deal.

3) Looked up two more restaurants. This is a lot of fun to do. 

Small Goals:
1) Passed.

2) Failed. In reflection I should have realized I wouldn't have the time to read the physical book. I did listen to the podcast and downloaded the new app.

3) Done. Read another section of 'Nine Lies' that really resonated with me. 

4) Looked into the tank. Got some feedback from coworkers and waiting until Friday to see if one of them comes up with a number. If they don't then I'll start researching a place/make some calls.

5) Success? It's been in the back of my mind, but nothing new or particularly exciting in the last week.


INTENTIONS/MINI-GOALS
Big Goals:
1) Put together major 'to do' for the weekend. Participate in the party and have a big push in marketing. 

2) 8k a day. Pick up groceries. Keep to meal plan. Exercise. 

3) Research and finalize more restaurants/plans for Japan and the upcoming weekends as a whole.

Small Goals:
1) Pass, though honestly might just be done with this one for the round as my time per week is going down quickly.

2) Read a chapter of physical book. Listen to podcasts. Try new podcast app.

3) Finish 'Nine Lies'. Start reading 'Ask More'. 

4) Make decision on who to install the tank and what tank to install.

5) Start thinking about side characters and how magic affects the economics of the world.

For those tuning into this round my master goals list is here. The list of everyone participating in this round is here. This busy half a week is almost to a close and I'll be able to concentrate on my goals in earnest again.


AFTER ACTION REVIEW:
Big Goals:
1) Kept up with marketing plan and new meeting scheduled. Communication has been open and things are going well.

2) Did not get 8k over the weekend. Every day before that though was 8k or higher. The meal plan has been kept to, I'll need to do shopping soon.

3) Progress made. Two reservations finalized and a number of other choices have been found. I didn't realize that we had as much flexibility as we do left in the schedule, so that will make things easier going forward. Stretch goal half complete, with one night of sleepover and Sunday's plans completed. 

Small Goals:
1) FINISHED! The order has been made, and it'll arrive right before the next trip.

2) Passed. Listening to podcast in the car. 

3) Finished the writing related self-improvement book. About 2/3rds through 'Nine Lies'. I didn't have the mental power to read a ton of it this weekend. I'd rather get more out of my reading, so I think that delaying the goal in order to get a better understanding was a good decision.

4) Secret stretch goal complete! My new, reordered because it arrived broken last time, bedside table arrived. It took three hours to unpack everything and put it together, but it's in it's new spot and I am loving it! The whole room feels better and the table is much more usable as it's taller/bigger than the previous. Plus it has three giant drawers instead of the previous tiny half drawer. For such a small piece of furniture this has been a drastic improvement to the house. 

5) Finished the writing related self-improvement book and applied what I could to this outline. I think that the first half was useful, but after that it petered off. I'll be looking at something new for the next stages of this planning.


INTENTIONS/MINI-GOALS
Big Goals:
1) Monday goal to finish my 'to do' list for 518 and then make this weeks list for everyone in Wunderlist. 

2) 8k a day. Get some delicious veggies at the farmers market tomorrow. Make a meal plan around said fresh food. Do some exercises! I gotta make this a priority, this is a big goal for a reason!

3) Do more research on restaurants. Ideally put two more on the 'high chances' list.

Small Goals:
1) After finally finishing the calendar I'm taking a pass on this for the week. I would start watching GoT again, but I just got a new video game (Fire Emblem) and I'd rather spend the time playing that.

2) Read a chapter of the physical book. Listen to podcasts. See about setting up new podcast listening app. (At least download it.) 

3) Read another section of 'Nine Lies'. 

4) Last major house renovation for this round; replacing the hot water tank. The current one is  leaking, which is better than pressure building. That has made this a bit more of a priority than before. For the next check in I'd like to do some research into what tank we want to install and who would be a good choice to install it. I have two friends already looking up some options so I don't want to rush this too much. Wishing for the right person/company to come my way.

5) For the next checkin just keep thinking about the plot and see what comes up. I should probably start thinking about side characters a bit more. 

AFTER ACTION REVIEW:
Big Goals:
1) The order is in and will be arriving earlier than I was hoping, which is super exciting. The marketing plan is starting, I'm sure it'll get more momentum over the weekend. The whole team forgot the online meeting on Tuesday, so we'll reschedule it.

2) Major success here, 7-8K everyday plus keeping to the meal plan/eating healthy.

3) Sent an email about restaurant reservation with one place. Overlayed the maps of recommended restaurants with where we'll be and found few were close. Will restart the research anew later.

Small Goals:
1) Overachieved and did three calendar pages. 

2) As expected did not read the physical book. Did listen to the podcast in the car most days, there was one rainstorm where I didn't want to be distracted, so no worries there either.

3) Read a little more of the writing self-improvement book, read the first third of the borrowed book "Nine Lies About Work" which is absolutely fascinating. 

4) The house is still clean. 

5) Didn't think about the newest novel directly, but I'm playing a DnD campaign with a lot of spirits with different powers, so that's pretty related.  

INTENTIONS/MINI-GOALS
Big Goals:
1) Keep up with marketing plan, schedule and attend new meeting. Continue to keep communication with the hens open, encouraging, flexible, and often. Right now is the best time for nurturing for growth. 

2) 8k a day, keep up with meal plan. Not sure if I'll be getting more food, as I feel like we still have a lot in the house right now.

3) Finalize at least a few more restaurants. Stretch goal to finalize plans for the first weekend in September.

Small Goals:
1) Finish calendar and put in purchase.

2) Pass on physical book, listen to podcast in car.

3) Finish both self-improvement books.

4) Pass. Just keep the house clean.

5) Apply more of the writing related self-improvement book to the newest NaNo novel drabbles. See about getting a real outline.

AFTER ACTION REVIEW:
Big Goals:
1)  Major done here! The anthology is simply waiting for approval before I can order! Now for the marketing plan.

2) Did not get 8k a day, spent too much time in my chair and I can feel it in my legs. I did stay on the meal plan and tried a new vegetarian recipe that went over well with everyone in the house. It's a keeper!

3) Failure. I spent a lot of time working on goal 1 and recovering from a pretty bad week. 

Small Goals:
1) Failure, again simply didn't get the time to work on this. 

2) Read another two chapters of the physical book and listened to podcasts in the car. 

3) Up to half on the self-improvement book. It's been much better than I was anticipating. 

4) Success! Cleaned the first floor of the house. It didn't take too long, maybe an hour and a half which included some once a year activities such as washing the windows. 

5) I tried out the first nine steps from "Jumpstart Your Novel". I do think that it's helping me figure out what's going on. It's not that complicated, basically structured free writes about different parts of the story. But I have the main character and the plot down. I'm reconsidering writing this in an epistolary format now though. Luckily there's still time before making the decision.

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INTENTIONS/MINI-GOALS
Big Goals:
1)  Monday, assign everyone parts of the market plan we put together. Attend the online meeting on Tuesday.

2) Reup the anti to get to 8k a day again. Keep to the meal plan.

3) Actually get around to finalizing at least some of the Japanese restaurants. Aiming for at least forward momentum. 

Small Goals:
1) Finish two pages of the calendar, I'll finish the rest over the weekend. 

2) Pass on the physical book, listen to podcast in the car.

3) Read more of self-improvement book and start to read borrowed self-improvement book. 

4) Pass. Just keep the house clean. 

5) Keep thinking it over, but nothing specific.