One month in...Goals and 2025 so far

To follow some kind of structure, and I have decided to use my first post of 2025 as a guide, then I can see how I am doing compared to the incredibly productive year I had last year.

Work: January was unexpectedly quiet. The work was there, but some clients weren't ready with the hardware or documentation I needed for the tests. I did manage to start some tests, so this coming week is a continuance of those jobs.

Business: As I write this post, I am slapping myself against the head because I forgot to send out an invoice at the end of January. Stupid newbie mistake! But first thing on Monday, that invoice will be going out, that's for sure.

Books read: Although I have the goal to read more non-fiction this year, I haven't finished the first book yet. I have read a few fiction stories while out and about and waiting somewhere. A Kindle is definitely convenient, but reading time at home is much more limited. I schedule art-making time on my planner, so I am now scheduling time to read the non-fiction books too. Two hours per week for a start.

Goal: read at least 12 books, 8 of which will be non-fiction. I am currently reading Black Holes by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw.

Books published: It is a bit early in the year, even for me, but my first book is already with my editor. Tiger Gold is scheduled for publication in April 2025. I don't have the exact date yet, so keep an eye out if you like my books.

Goal - Novels: Tiger Gold - The Strikemasters (April 2025) and The Guardian of Dreams - Lords of the High Council (Dec 2025). They will be books 9 and 10 in my Nations of Peace series.

Goal - Novella: Rowan, I Dare You (July 2025); it is the first story of a new series, The Silk Club stories.

Words written: Writing continues on a new novel. No title yet. So far, I have written 10,981 words this year, although the manuscript has over 100k words already. There is no goal for the number of words.

Goal - stories: The plan is to finish the current draft (by the end of March) and another novella by the end of the year, if possible.

Sketchbook for 2025 practice

Other projects: I don't plan for these except for the projects for my art group. We will do a project every other month with the in-between months planned for drawing and painting techniques practice in a sketchbook we made in December last year.

Goal - art: I will probably take part if the AGAC competition is on again this year,. Since it is a competition, there is a deadline, and planning to work on the painting works around that deadline.

Goal - art: I am a member of Artkula.com, and usually do at least one of the monthly challenges every month.

Many lofty goals for 2025, but I don't beat myself up if I don't make a goal, except for projects with a deadline. Those take priority when it comes to my time.

I haven't mentioned the apothecary cabinet because I haven't started working on it yet. But I will share my progress once I do start.

Stay creative, until next time!

💜Linzé

2024 - a crazy year in review

Can I do it again it 2025?

When I look back at this past year, I shake my head because what I have managed to do blows my mind. Did I plan all of this? But more importantly, can I do it again?

Honestly, I have no idea how I managed all of that. Of course, I plan things, like we all do, but to have actually done it—I have no words.

But let me show you what I am talking about. This is the list of stuff I managed to complete in 2024:

Work: I am self-employed but contracted as a safety certification engineer by a testing authority in Pretoria. And I managed to do 59 jobs for them in 2024. That is more than one per week! Practically, that means that I did several jobs in parallel because the average time for the work I do is about three weeks, with some jobs taking two to three months.

Business: I also do consulting work for South African companies who want to export their high-tech products. I assisted with 9 technical construction files for EU and UK exports.

Books read: I love the Goodreads reading challenge, and 2024 was a fiction year for me. I did read one or two non-fiction books, but I wanted to read more fiction, and cosy mystery is my genre of choice. I would read when I was eating breakfast alone or had to wait for people. My Kindle lives in my handbag, so it is always at hand for those unplanned minutes. And by doing this, I managed 145 books. I cannot tell you how that happened, but it did!

Books published: Thanks to my fantastic editor, Vanessa Wright, I got two novels in The Nations of Peace series published in 2024. You can check them out here: A Memory for Love (book 7), and Prime Pledge (book 8).

Words written: I've been keeping track of the number of words I write since 2014. I have been writing since 2000, so getting that first number of words for the spreadsheet took some effort. In 2024, I wrote 163,000 words. I have managed more in previous years, but in my defence, I have been busy with other things.

The good news is that the series' ninth book is on my priority list to finish formatting and send it to Vanessa next week for editing. It is scheduled for publication in April 2025.

Art projects: I did one commission (6 drawings) in 2024. I finished the Inktober challenge in October (I post my drawings to Instagram), about 10 pieces in a sketchbook, and completed 13 paintings. I didn't participate in any exhibitions last year but may do so again this year.

Other projects: I love building models and finished two in December. I bought a few items to make an apothecary cabinet, which I received this past week. There will be some construction work, and I am considering sharing my process in a few blog posts.

When I look at this list, I shake my head mainly because I cannot comprehend how I managed everything. Am I particularly motivated or productive? Definitely not. But once I get stuck in on a project, whether it is work or a painting, I get it done.

I put everything I have to do every week in my planner, mostly so I don't forget to do the laundry, but it helps a lot.

I don't plan the number of jobs; that is out of my control, nor do I plan the number of art projects. I lead an art group, so I have to plan projects for them, but I also belong to a group where there are two challenges every month. All these activities keep the artistic and creative juices flowing.

Writing has been in my blood for so long that I no longer think about it. Several ideas are on my list, so I am never short of ideas when the muse strikes me with the urge to pen a few words.

This post is getting long, so I will share my 2025 goals in another post.

Have you had a year like I had in 2024? What was your secret to getting everything (and more) done?

Do something creative. It's good for you. 😂 Until next time!

💜 Linzé