By Kimberly Mitchell 

Didn’t summer just begin? Yet here it is, already August, and that endless summertime feeling is slipping away. Kids are heading back to school,  excited and nervous about what this year will bring. Teachers Parents pause to wonder how time is passing so quickly. Doesn’t it feel like August, despite its heat and humidity in Arkansas, is the start of something fresh?

After a long, hot summer wrangling kids, working, vacationing (and resting up from vacation), all our energy seems to fizzle out. Just when we need it to conquer busy fall schedules and still find time to pursue our writing goals.  

What’s a blogger to do? How can we make those lovely blog and writing goals set way back in stone cold January sizzle for the rest of 2015? 

Here’s five steps to infuse some heat and energy into your goals 

1) Check in. 

Where did you tuck away those hopes for 2015? I wrote my goals down on a 3×5  note card and pinned them to a bulletin board above my writing desk as a reminder of what I’m working towards all year. Find those goals and check in with your progress. 

If you didn’t write goals for 2015, do it now! Write down what you’d like to accomplish through the end of the year.  

2) Check off, Re-evaluate and Chuck Out. 

Which goals have you already accomplished? It’s time to draw that satisfying check mark next to it. 

Which goals have gotten bogged down or completely forgotten? Re-evaluate them. We have four months left in 2015. Is it realistic that you’ll accomplish that goal? What if you scaled back? Better? 

If not, don’t be afraid to chuck that goal for the rest of the year. You can always re-visit it in 2016. We’re feeling the heat now, and we’re concerned with the goals we can finish in the next four months.

3) Schedule, Schedule, Schedule

Do you have your newly revised goal list? You should feel more excited now. Accomplishing these gems by the end of 2015 is looking more manageable. 

Now it’s time to make time. Get out that calendar. 

Fall is hands down my favorite season. Football, soccer, and sporting events abound, hay rides, corn mazes, fall weddings and family time quickly fill up our calendars. If you don’t schedule time to work on your writing, blogging, website, etc., it won’t happen. 

Choose a day in August and take an hour or two to sit down with your calendar. First, fill in all those events you already know you can’t miss. For me, this includes Razorback football and soccer games, the upcoming literary festival in October, and holiday family time. If I know it’s happening, it goes on the calendar. 

Next, find those hours in your week when you can work specifically towards your goals and add it to the calendar. Maybe it’s two hours on Saturday morning before your son’s soccer game, or Monday afternoon during that lull after lunch. Find the time that works best for you, but schedule it and, here’s the hard part, stick to it! 

This is goal time, and it’s non-negotiable.

4) Get Enthusiastic

My favorite part about making goals in January is how excited I feel. I want that same enthusiasm in August, but it’s hot. I took my foot off the gas over the summer, and I haven’t blogged consistently. Maybe I should just let it go. 

Wait a minute! My goals won’t get accomplished like that. 

Enthusiasm is key to finishing what you’ve started. If you don’t have it, you need people around you who can carry the enthusiasm for you.

*Warning: Shameless plug for the ARWB conference here* 

It just so happens that Arkansas Women Bloggers is holding its yearly conference at the end of August. 

How perfect is that timing? Just when you need a boost, here’s a gathering of bloggers from across the state who are wildly enthusiastic and supportive of each other. It’s the pick-me-up a tired blogger needs in August. 

If you can find a way to make it to the conference, do so. It’ll inject life into your work.

If you can’t make it to the conference this year, there are other ways to achieve that enthusiasm. Host a mini work day with a few blogger/writer friends. Set aside one day to meet, encourage each other in your goals, and hold each other accountable.  

We don’t slack as much when we know others are watching our progress. Plus, it’s nice to have someone cheering for you. 

5) Celebrate – When you accomplish a goal, don’t just wipe your hand across your brow and say, “Whew, I’m glad that’s done.” Realize how awesome this moment is. You chose a writing goal, worked hard towards it, and now you’ve done it. It’s time to celebrate. 

I prefer cupcakes, or coffee with friends, especially if those friends have been part of my success. 

Choose your own rewards and don’t ignore the value of celebrating your accomplishments throughout the year. 

How do you feel about August now? Are you ready to make those goals sizzle? 

Kimberly Mitchell is pursuing writing and life in Northwest Arkansas. When she’s not writing and blogging or teaching preschool fitness, she’s cheering on the Razorbacks, playing soccer, and scheming ways to travel the world. Follow her on Twitter @KSMitch17 and check out her blog for updates on all of the above.