A Year in the Life, Week 26: Self-Reflection Week

Can you believe it? I feel like I Just posted my quarterly review yesterday, and it’s already time for my six-month review. It went all right, although I think I may have gotten a little too snarky to my boss near the end. Think she’ll keep me around? 😉

Dear Lacey,

It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole six months already — I feel like I just gave you your quarterly review a few days ago.

How is it going for you, half a year into this project?

You’ve continued to perform to the standards we discussed in the beginning, and I’m always pleased when you write beyond the prompts. I also know you started a new blog at booklikes, and I’ve seen that divert some of your writing energy. But you are still meeting your commitments.

You’re still not putting much effort into the extensions, and I have a feeling your intention is less than your follow-through. Any thoughts on this?

All best,

Lacey VenOsdel

Dear Ms. VenOsdel:

I feel the same way that you do–this past six weeks have really flown by.

I feel a little sheepish coming to this review and feeling like I have very little to say that I didn’t say last time. The truth is, these writing exercises are starting to wear a little thin. There are only a few that I feel gave us some real breakthroughs in insight and creativity.

My work schedule has changed since our last evaluation, too, so I no longer have Fridays off to focus on writing. That might be what makes me look forward to this time less. I do like that it gives me a break from the more “structured” writing I do for the next week. Don’t worry–I don’t plan to quit!

All right, let’s talk about the extensions. I started out with good intentions–I marked some extensions, set aside time for them, and even followed through … but they really fell flat. There’s just something about returning to similar exercises that fails to excite me, even if I think the extension is provocative. So I’m going to be honest with both of us–since I said last time I would commit to setting aside specific time if I chose to work on extensions, I’ve been less enticed by extensions. When returning to them is not just theoretical, I find that none of them excite me enough to commit to making the time for them in my week. I am sorry about this, Ms. VenOsdel, but I need to be honest with us both and say that if I don’t do an extension during the weekly journaling session for you, I probably just won’t do it.

I continue to be disappointed that my ambition and intention to write often reaches further than my actions. It’s so tempting to read a bit or sleep in during those thirty minutes in the morning that I reserve for “me time.” Because, if I can be frank, writing for you isn’t exactly “me time,” although I think you’d like to believe differently.

This isn’t to say I don’t still want to improve. I do. And I’ll continue to work on it–I promise.

Thanks for fitting me into your life. Here’s to another six months!

All best,

Lacey