This is not quite the same as “set the bar low,” although that is one way we can make it easier on ourselves. What I’m talking about is expecting more of yourself than is necessary.

I finished my ROW80 goals early yesterday afternoon, and I was ready to write this post, yet I kept putting it off. Why? Because I thought I needed something more, something pithy or intriguing, or at least more interesting that just a recap of my ROW80 goals and how I did.

But I didn’t know what to write. Yes, I have my blog ideas file, but nothing on there really ties in to a quick bit of something extra for a ROW80 post.

Then I realized I’m just making things harder than they need to be. Sometimes, I have something more to say, something a little bit clever that ties into my goals over the past week. This week I don’t, so it’s just the goals.

Oh, and this brief little bit about why make things harder than we have to?

And that brings me to my ROW80 update. Keeping the bar low for my writing worked again. Here’s how last week went:

• Dress: sew underskirt and hem – I didn’t hem it, because I realized it should be tried on with the petticoat, which isn’t done yet. But I’m going to consider this goal DONE.
• Web design: post placeholder home page — Actually, I went ahead and designed the real site. The client loved it, and it’s up! DONE.
• Writing: 1,500 more words on short story — DONE!
• Fitness: 3 short workouts – DONE!

Since I no longer have a major web design project hanging over me, I’m going to bump up the writing a bit, and add one workout. Here’s the plan:

• Dress: make the petticoat. Bonus: Hem and finish the dress.
• Writing: 2,500 more words on short story
• Fitness: 4 short workouts

What about you? Do you make things harder than they need to be? Whether or not you’re doing ROW80, did you accomplish your goals last week, and what are your plans for this week? Let me know – I’d love to hear from you!

Jennette Marie Powell writes stories about ordinary people in ordinary places, who do extraordinary things and learn that those ordinary places are anything but. In her Saturn Society novels, unwilling time travelers do what they must to make things right... and change more than they expect. You can find her books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, iTunes, and more.