That is my question. A certain part of my brain thinks planning is very uncreative, and that writing, like any other form of art, should be a spontaneous thing, like mold growing on an old shower curtain. (Okay, eeww.) Another, more practical, part of my brain says having a Plan…capital “P”…is usually a good idea. Trouble is, I’m at war over the issue.

Without a Plan, I tend to flounder, wait until the last minute to do things, get off track and spend too much time doing other, non-productive, stuff…things like that. Yet, with a Plan, I immediately rebel, and start to drag my heels, feeling forced to do one thing, when I really want to do something else. Having a Plan tends to stomp all over my enjoyment of things, like writing. So it’s a Catch-22 thing for me, and mostly I’ve been ignoring the whole issue. But recently, I realized my whole life was out of control. Too much freedom was actually keeping me from being as creative in my work as I wanted to be, because it was keeping me from focusing on anything. So I decided to write out a 5-year Plan, based on my personal needs at this time of my life, and incorporating some of the things I’ve been reading about.

My Plan is simple. It consists of Two Parts:

Part 1: Write ten decent books in 5 years.
Part 2: Learn some marketing techniques and tactics that don’t keep me too busy to accomplish Part 1. 

That’s pretty much it. Simple. Direct. Easy. Doable. And yet, I immediately felt the pressure. When I say I work anywhere from 8 to 12 hours a day writing or doing writing related tasks, I’m not kidding. And that’s a lot of work for most of us, but especially for those of us who are feeling the effects of the aging process more each year. Sitting that long at my computer is difficult at best, and downright painful at worst. No need to go into all the aches and pains in detail, but believe me, they are there, keeping me awake at the end of the day. And don’t even get me started on my vision issues.

The point is, I end up trying to do more and more, faster and faster, in less time, so I don’t have to spend so long at the computer at one time, yet hoping I still have a chance to meet the goals laid out in my plan. And then…surprise!…I get tired, frustrated, and stressed, and fall  even farther behind.

My solution was to accept that my Plan is merely a goal–something to aim for, not something carved in stone that can’t be deviated from. I can allow myself to work toward this goal, yet stop punishing myself when I fall short. I think my Plan is a good one, doable at a rate of two books a year. But I can’t set myself up for failure, by insisting I work ridiculously long hours that exhaust me both physically and creatively.

My Plan is now a flexible one, which gives me a sensible, attainable goal to work toward, with room for improvising built in.

Do you have a plan? If so, is it working for you? Keeping you on course, yet allowing for detours in the road? I’d like to know what’s working for you guys, and what’s not. Hope you’ll share some thoughts with us.