Taking stock on July 2nd, the middle day of the year.

[EDIT] I’ve changed the title and the thrust of this post, which first went up in the middle of the night last night.

It just occurred to me that today – July 2nd – is the exact middle day of the year!  It seems an excellent opportunity to think about how things are going in 2014 and to make adjustments.

Ok. To be entirely truthful, I actually spent July 1st putting my blogging and writing life in order. And I originally posted most of this entry on what I think of of as last night. (So goes the life of a night owl.) Still, I’m pleased serendipity moved to take stock and put things in order on such an appropriate date.

HERE’S WHAT I ORGANIZED “YESTERDAY”:

The Read in 2014 page.

– updated my list (and GoodReads) with recently read books. (I don’t review them, I just list and link.) I wish I could be more confident that I remembered them all, but I know I’ve missed some.

Why: I’ve been doing more reading lately, and updating this list gave me a little positive feedback on the effort. I think it’s important to read within the genre in which I write. (And  just for fun.) I’ve joined Audible, so that I can listen to at least a book a month while I’m at work (folding laundry) and when I’m walking. 

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The #hauntedphotoaweek page and galleries.

– checked in on the 3 “feeder galleries”, added recent submissions to the best of the #hauntedphotoaweek gallery, and changed the way haunted pictures are displayed here on the blog.

I feel bad for just wandering away from this idea so completely for the last several months. Now that the weather is nicer, though, I’ll be taking more photographs. If that seems likely for you too, please consider adding to any of the feeder galleries — I promise I’ll be better at checking for new shots.

Why: I want to encourage myself to get out and take pictures while the weather is wonderful. At a deeper level, I want to be even more aware of the beauty and wonder surrounding me, whether it be haunting or uplifting.

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The My WriMoProg page.

– dusted of my editorial calendar and defined my goals for the month. Let’s just say I’m feeling ambitious. I’m shooting for 200+ hours of work in July. To see the rationale for THAT, pop over to my WriMoProg page and read “setting the goal for July”.

Why: Well because I want to write more, and to feel like I’m making real progress toward my primary goal. Setting lofty goals in July is smart for me, because I feel more driven to create in the summer.

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The *Courting Creepy: 13 slots for an ever-shifting list of movies I have to see.* list.

– transferred viewing suggestions I’ve been getting to my to-see list, and figured out which ones I can lay my hands on. I made sure all the available movies are either in my streaming or DVD queue at Netflix. (They are marked, in case you want to take advantage of the research I did to adjust your own Netflix list.) That should come in handy as the days get hotter and I want to just take a break and relax in an air conditioned, dimly lit room.

Why: I want to stay on top of  developments in my chosen genre AND I want to make it easy to sit down and watch a movie without fussing over my Netflix queue.

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The 13 most haunting films, for ghost story lovers (and another 13+ worth watching.) list.

– updated the list to reflect the ghost films I’ve seen in the last couple of months. ONE of the top-13 slots has changed, and a handful of films have been added to the bonus list.

Why: This is the most popular post at The Paranormalist, and I feel it’s important to keep it as current as possible. With the backlog caught up, I can do quick updates as I watch the films on my to-see list.

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MOST IMPORTANTLY:

I also re-familiarized myself with my fiction project and spent the allotted time working on that.

ADDED LINKS, IN HONOR OF MIDDLE-DAY:

I wrote a series of posts earlier this year – Resolutions Review – about tools that can support goals and resolutions. Today seems like a fine day to re-share them.

Write more with fun (free) productivity tools: Focus Booster, Write or Die, Camp NaNoWriMo, WriMoProg & progress meters.

How Spark People helped me lose 10 pounds in 11 weeks without dieting.

How “You Need A Budget” (YNAB) helped us save $1000 in less than 3 months.

Links to these articles, and other paranormal lifestyle tips, can be found in the Body Preservation section of the blog. (And, yes, I updated that page too.)

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wrimoprog 07/01/2014:  4 + 12 = 16/208