Chasing Time: Goal Setting in 2026

I can’t believe it’s the beginning of a new year already!

 

When I sit and think what I would like to achieve this year, the quiet pondering morphs into mild anxiety when I think about the time it will take to achieve some of my goals.
I have consistently faced challenges balancing time. There never seems to be enough hours in the day, and I always feel as though I’m running out of time

To ease my anxiety, I did the sensible thing and tackled one set of goals at a time: my writing goals for 2026. In doing this, I realise that there isn’t enough time to complete all of my projects — I have five novels at various stages, for instance.

 

 

Even compiling a list was challenging, so I sat back, relaxed and chastised myself. 
Change your Mindset! Not everything will be achievable, but you can do this! 

 

So, I set to work by breaking my writing goals down into manageable tasks. To do this, I used a Goal setting worksheet created by Ali Luke for her 2026 Novel Writing Course https://www.aliventures.com/writers-cafe/
The interesting part was looking back at what I had achieved last year. It’s so easy to minimise what has actually been achieved by the overpowering need and desire to achieve so much more. 

 

These were the questions being fired at me from my subconscious brain:

When will you finish the homicide course? — this relates to my restorative justice work.
What about the other drafts of the five novels sitting in files on the computer? 
Why haven’t you submitted any of your short stories? 
What about your memoir—you’ll be dead before you finish it? 
When will you accept that you have to keep up with your social media? 
Who has submitted reviews, and are you keeping track of marketing bitter pill? https://ajlinney.co.uk/bitter-pill/
Where are you marketing yourself, and is it enough? 
Why haven’t you worked on your homeopathy blog? Is your main blog up to date? https://ajlinney.co.uk/blog/1/
What about your author page and newsletter? 
When are you going to finish your writing courses? — you have plenty on the go. 
How will you find the time to listen to the videos from the writing masters subscription? 
How much editing have you done lately, and have you organised the drafts? 
Will you finally complete your second novel this year? 
When will you start the research and arrange a date to interview the police officer for your crime novel? 
And the list goes on and on and on!

 

Ignoring the overwhelming feelings, I grabbed a coffee and set about working out a weekly plan, followed by a monthly plan. This helped me to compartmentalise my projects and decide which ones were my priority. I figured by publishing these goals on my website; I am accountable (plus this is the first completed task) and it serves to give an insight into my writing life too.

 

That said, here are my writing goals for 2026:

Goal 1: Finish the final draft of my second novel, Identity, by the end of July; my primary goal and top priority

Goal 2: Write regular blog posts — to include posts on homeopathy and updates — tick for this first one

Goal 3: Finish (and possibly submit for a competition) at least one of my short stories — The Lake will be the first story

Goal 4: Do some work on my memoir, Lyrical Gypsy

Goal 5: Plan and do some research for my next book — mainly interviewing an officer from CID

Goal 6: Do regular social media: Update FB author page, LinkedIn, etc

Goal 7: Attend regular writing hour sessions — minimum 4 per week

Goal 8: Commit to my Novel writing course

Goal 9: Check reviews and continue to promote Bitter Pill

Goal 10: Work on perfecting the craft: webinars, writing retreats, and learning.

Now I feel better for having a plan. My aim is to try my best to stick to it as far as possible, but not to be controlled by it to the extent of creating anxiety!  Writing should be enjoyable, creative, and inspiring. Writing nourishes my soul and I don’t want that to change!

 

 

Here’s to balancing time and a productive 2026. After all, time is what we make it.