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Pen to Paper Newsletter

Pen to Paper: The Scoreboard (P27)

Presented below is a thought from me on writing, a quote from someone else on writing, an excerpt from that writer, and a discipline/habit to implement…

We will be focusing on the scoreboard today.

A Thought

“If I were at a baseball game and the scoreboard wasn’t working or didn’t exist, my interest would quickly fade. The same applies to my writing journey – without keeping track of completed projects, unfinished songs, desired co-writes, or weekly word count goals, my motivation would gradually dwindle.” 

– Austin Alford

A Quote

“A compelling scoreboard creates engagement and ownership.” 

– Chris McChesney, Jim Huling, and Sean Covey (Authors & Speakers)

An Excerpt 

From The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Jim Huling, and Sean Covey…

“Great teams [writers] know at every moment whether or not they are winning. They must know, otherwise, they don’t know what they have to do to win the game [or write the book]. A compelling scoreboard tells the team where they are and where they should be, information essential to team problem solving and decision making.”

A Discipline/Habit to Implement

I am rededicating to tracking the number of words I write weekly and the songs I complete monthly.

I want to ensure that I am progressing towards my goals. This isn’t just about achieving a goal, but about continuously writing more and more.

So, what does it mean to have a writing scoreboard? It’s simple – keep a sheet of paper where you can see it daily, whether it’s on your closet wall, bathroom mirror, or workspace. Display your goal and the specific number of words or songs needed to reach it.

By keeping this visible and updating it weekly, you naturally hold yourself accountable and can easily see if you are making progress. It’s a powerful tool for motivation and success.

Put Pen to Paper this week and have fun!

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