Your mid-year reset checklist (Part One)
How is it almost July already?
Back in December, I made a to-do list of 26 goals for 2026.
Ambitious, right? At the time, I thought it would be a piece of cake. Actually, I thought that I’d be through a good part of it by now. Uh, that isn’t the case. Okay, my desire for a fancy Christmas potpourri (childhood nostalgia!) would obviously wait until December. But why exactly haven’t I got a new office chair or booked a trip? Heck, why haven’t I gone for Algerian food, a goal which has been on my list for YEARS? (Ottawa-based readers, this is the restaurant I’m obsessed with!)
Yeah, time has crept up on me, and I’m guessing you feel it too.
June is the perfect time to take stock, not in a harsh or judgmental way, but in the spirit of clarity. What’s working? What isn’t? What deserves more of your time and energy in the months ahead? I’m spending time this week in reflection, and I hope you’ll pour a coffee, find a quiet moment, and do so as well.
(BTW… I wanted to make a comment about all of us being busy beavers and then I found this photo of the muskrat that lives near me. So perhaps we need to be mid-year muskrats?)
Step One: What’s Working?
We often move quickly from one deadline to the next without fully acknowledging what we’ve already accomplished. Your progress this year deserves attention. Heck, it deserves celebration!
Ask yourself:
What has gone well in the past six months?
Have you taken time to celebrate those wins — even in small ways?
What systems, routines, or habits have made your writing life easier?
Who has supported you most consistently this year?
What have you genuinely enjoyed working on?
This is your reminder: You are likely further along than you think.
Some of my wins include attending at least one networking event each month, keeping on top of my receipts, and pitching a story which had been rattling around my brain for years (and getting a YES on the first try!)
Step Two: What’s Dragging
I’m a big fan of focusing on successes, but it’s worth noting what isn’t working as well. What’s dragging you down and draining you of your energy, momentum, and time? Notice that I didn’t ask what you did wrong. You didn’t do anything wrong! Not everything works all the time, and that’s okay. Identify, address, move on.
What hasn’t gone so well this year?
How has that affected your energy or mindset?
What tasks or types of work have felt draining or frustrating?
What haven’t you enjoyed — even if it technically “pays”?
Some things which are dragging me? How about a promise that I would apply for something every month (like a writing grant or an award). Turns out, that is HARD work, and I didn’t have a game plan. It just felt like something I should do. Putting my energy into attending networking events and fine-tuning which ones work for me has been a far better approach.
Step Three: What’s Paying
Money gives us all a safe place to live. It’s an essential part of buying espresso, which is our lifeblood. You can’t plan an art heist without some seed money. Wait. Scratch that last part. Let’s just say that money is important.
We are all working writers, and we all want a stable, sustainable, prosperous business. That makes taking a hard look at finances as they stand today, not how we imagined they would look when we were planning things back in December.
What have you sold most often this year?
What has been easiest to sell?
What has been hardest to sell?
What has been most profitable?
Are you satisfied with your current income patterns?
Are you paying yourself consistently?
You may notice that:
Your most enjoyable work is not always your most profitable
Or that your easiest work is quietly sustaining everything else
Or that something you’ve been resisting is actually your strongest income stream