By Leilani Squires

I was proudly showing off my new website to my mentor and explaining all the services I was going to offer writers and organizations. I excitedly described the development editing, manuscript assessment, ghostwriting, and more, but then grumbled and winced my way through proofing. And that’s when she totally halted the website tour. 

“If you don’t enjoy proofing manuscripts, why offer it?” she asked. 

“Because I can do it,” I said. 

“You can do it, but should you?” 

She had a point. And that’s when I started asking myself this question more often.

Instead of planning what you should do in the new year, I encourage you to think about what you shouldn’t do. For example: 

Don’t Let Projects Ruin Your Sanity

When you look over the past year, what projects or deadlines made you feel overly hurried and stressed? What can you learn from that and adjust this year? Is there a more realistic deadline you can give yourself? Is there something you can take off your to-do list and better meet those deadlines? 

Some of us have a goal of writing a certain number of pages or words every day. But if the goal is too daunting (especially during unexpected busy seasons of life), it’s easy to dismiss the whole thing day after day. Instead, try lowering the page or word count goal. If your goal was for 1,000 words a day, try instead 300. Little progress is still better than no progress and less stressful. 

Are there obligations you stay committed to simply because they are good but not great for you? When you look at your calendar, what are the schedule commitments that make you feel more weary than anticipation? 

Don’t Let Tedious Tasks Overwhelm 

What can you streamline? When I worked at a marketing agency, we would meet with clients to discuss a whole month’s worth of social media posts. Then those would be prepped and scheduled. What used to be a daily frustrating task for our clients now was a monthly fun hour or two brainstorming session. 

A CEO I admire has a to-do list and a don’t do list. On her don’t do list are things that distract her from her priorities and goals. Just because it’s a project you’ve always done, or a routine you’ve always had, doesn’t mean it has to continue. Sometimes those routines keep us from dreaming bigger and accomplishing our goals better. What tedious projects or tasks can you delegate or delete? 

This can also be applied to tasks like house cleaning, lawn mowing, meal prep, and the like. One of the best birthday gifts I’ve received was a housecleaner. At that birthday, I had several big projects back-to-back. But because I didn’t have to squish in time to clean, I could focus on my work and family and not feel taunted by the cobwebs gathering in the corners. 

Just like I don’t enjoy proofing projects, I know other editors who thoroughly enjoy it and despise development editing. Similarly, there are people and services who enjoy house cleaning, yard work, and preparing meal kits. 

Don’t Keep it to Yourself

There are times and situations that require having a hard conversation. Maybe it’s to raise your rates, or set a better workflow, or address a repeated lack of common curtesy. But often, those conversations get ignored because we either don’t want to potentially hurt someone’s feelings or lose the client. But it can be far better to have a half hour uncomfortable conversation than continue to have resentment build. Give the other party the benefit of the doubt, and the opportunity, to talk through and find a good solution for all involved. 

A lot of junk can get in the way of our writing success. And just like we hunt down and ruthlessly edit away the extraneous words, sentences, and paragraphs in our writing, do the same with the tasks, obligations, and processes that bog you down. 

I used to say “yes” to every project that came my way—pay or no pay, little or big. And that was a good thing as I developed my skills in a variety of genres. Now I know what I most enjoy doing and don’t. In the time it used to take me to anxiously do a proofing job, I can do two development editing projects and enjoy it. 

So, what’s on your don’t do list this year?

Leilani Squires is a writer and editor who began working with authors, organizations, and entrepreneurs in 2002. She helps each client develop their message or story clearly, concisely, and compellingly. She has a bachelor’s degree in Professional Writing from Taylor University and a master’s degree in Communications from Regent University. Leilani speaks at writers conferences, universities, and is an adjunct professor. View Leilani’s services for writers at leilanisquires.com.