The Vikings won. Let’s just start with that.

It’s going to be a great week.

It’s beautiful here in Minnesota today—a little chilly, the leaves are turning red and I fired my heart this morning to soak into my Miracle Morning.

I emerged with three thoughts about life and writing.

• Aroma. My pumpkin candles are lit and my son came into the room and said…it smells like Thanksgiving in here! Yesterday, in church, our pastor read, (2 Cor 1:14-16) “…But thanks be to God, who always leads us triumphantly as captives in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one, we are an odor of death and demise; to the other, a fragrance that brings life.

So here’s the question—what aroma do your books put out? I was thinking about that as I sat plotting my newest book. What aroma am I hoping to put out—hope? Forgiveness? Redemption? Justice?Am I seeking the aroma of Christ in my stories?

• Values. I came home from watching football with friends and had some choices. I could 1. Clean the house. 2. Watch more football. 3. Tackle another home remodel project. OR…I could sit by my fire, read a good book, pray and plan my week. My daily choices are driven by values, and last night my value of sacred rest (mental) rose to the top.

Since I started planning my life around my personal values, I’ve found freedom from the tyranny of my to-do list. Instead of being pushed ahead by my ‘must-do’s’, I let my values steer me. (and yes, a clean house is a value, but it doesn’t own me…I prioritize that value when it needs to be prioritized.)Our 2020 planner has a section about values-based planning if you’re interested in incorporating this into your life.

• Focus. I read something recently that really hit me—you will NEVER be caught up in everything.

Huh. But true. Because you might get “caught up” in one area of your life, but by doing so, you have probably let something else slip. I used to go to bed with a sense of failure at not having achieved “in-box zero,” or “a clean kitchen sink.” What-eves! I was caught up in the tyranny of multi-tasking. (which I like to call multi-fail!) When I discovered this truth, I also found another—perspective. And when we look at the entire pie, it CAN all get done. But how? The answer is FOCUS.

Focus is the concept that you dive into ONE project and put all your strength and brain power into that one project until you read a milestone point. Then, you give 100% Focus on a different project until you reach a milestone and…well, you get the point.

This is how I came up with the Power Block daily planning system. Instead of planning by 15 minute annoying increments (that inevitably I’d fall behind on—fail!) I started blocking out chunks of time—1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours—whatever I needed to FOCUS on a particular task. Writing, Marketing, Cleaning, Cooking, Reading, Sporting events or whatever my children needed…Whatever my values were in that season.

The dictionary definition of FOCUS is… “adapt to the prevailing level of light and become able to see clearly.”

Power blocks give me clarity. Values help me figure out what tasks/priorities to put in those Power Blocks. And Aroma gives me the content.

And that’s today’s fireside chat.

Your story matters. Go! Write something brilliant.

Susie May

P.S. Our 2020 Planner is beautiful. Here’s a fun review from NYT Author Rachel Hauck. And dive deep into the pages and functionality at www.mybrilliantwritingplanner.com

But – RIGHT NOW it’s $20 off UNTIL TOMORROW 9/10. And, you get a cool daily power block planning pad FREE with every order (while supplies last). Oh, and it’s shipping now. 🙂