In a moment of pure stupidity I decided to publicly declare my goals for this year, my 44th year. Mental note – do not blog after a glass of wine.

Now I would like it noted that I am not officially 44 yet so the project has not actually begun. I’ve still got nine days left in the carefree world of 43.

However, in my hours of trawling the internet, I discovered a couple of challenges which would supposedly help me reach some of my goals.  For some reason they are all taking place in November. So now I’ve found myself in the INSANE position of having now OVER COMMITTED myself in the goal setting world.

So here’s an update of where we are at at the moment.

Write a Novel

Signed up for  NaNoWriMo. The challenge was to write almost 2000 words a day. Well (gulp) I’m only at 4376 and we have 19 days left.

Helpfully, the little stats segment on the website is able to tell me exactly how big my problem is  – I’m averaging 364 words a day (geeze some of my parent/teacher notes explaining why we haven’t completed our homework are longer than that – and more creative too) – at this rate I’ll finish on March 16, 2012 (no way am I dragging this hell on for another four months) – now I must up the rate to 2402 in order to finish on time. So that’s what I’ll do.

The fact I dislike my characters, have no discernible plot and am hating the whole idea of the story anyway is beside the point.

Start a blog – get readers.

Well obviously I started a blog and thank you, thank you to you brave souls who keep returning. I’m still trying to find you some more friends to play with here.

Will have to look at a better design and transferring from the free WordPress.com to the WordPress.org platform but need to consult with someone who knows something about technical stuff.

As part of the blogging thing I also decided to do the NaBloPoMo challenge (what is it with all these acronyms). That means a blog post every day for the month of November. OK that’s one I’m managing to do – I did have some qualms about whether posting my brother’s photos counted but considering I was doing that before the challenge started I figure its legit.

Lose 15 kilos

If you people think I’m giving up potato chips, soft drink, wine and chocolate while I’m trying to write 2,402 words a day plus a blog post you are CRAZY. Look, we have unearthed the treadmill from under piles of boxes and dust in the garage – moved it into the bedroom – where now it is a very useful clotheshorse. I will get to it.

Finish Shambles Manor – husband has done some nice work in the front yard – it’s a start.

Go on awesome holidays – still a work in progress.

Enter 5 competitions a day – entered a few but not enough.

Get organised – only just managing to keep people feed and clothed in clean (but not necessarily ironed) clothes so more extensive organisation ie the piles of boxes not touched as yet.

What I’ve learnt so far:

• Going public is the BIG incentive. Honestly, I would be giving up on the novel in 30 days if it wasn’t for the fact I had announced it to the blogosphere.
• You must avoid the internet if you are trying to write a novel in 30 days – I can get lost for hours in there and I don’t have hours to spare.
• The family has to be onboard (and they are trying very hard to be supportive).

To anyone out there trying to do the two November challenges (especially Miscellaneous Mum who unknowingly got me into this mess) the best of luck. To Blogging Dangerously the world’s best delegator who, upon discovering she wasn’t going to get to 50,000 words set it out as a challenge to her 4000 readers to write a sentence each – good thinking. To my friend Savannah Photography who is well and truly on track to get to her 50,000 words – Go Shel.

To anyone else out trying to reach their goals and juggle life-in-general keep on keeping on.