Quarterly Reports and Juggling Oranges

I recall a quote from Robert Lewis Stevenson about a writer being a person juggling two oranges. He was, I think, talking about the mix of sensual and logical meaning in words. But I’ve always thought of that image in light of the many things writers need to master. If you are an active writer, you’re probably juggling more than two oranges!

This came to mind as a few days ago I did my Q2 (second quarter) report to the board of directors (hey, that’s me, too!) I was reasonably happy with the last 3 months. How about you?

Do you know how you did? Do you keep any type of regular reports?

To improve, the time to act isn’t at once a year, on January 1. I’m not a big believer of New Year’s Resolutions. The scope is too big, the desire to improve too great . . . and the fervor too quick to dissipate in the unexpected ups and downs that thwart our best-laid long-term plans.

Like an overland hike through rugged terrain, you don’t necessarily go from one great peak to the next. Instead, you make your way from smaller hill to hill, making your way past obstacles close at hand: a river to cross, a cliff to avoid, a promising path that dissipates after a while.

I strongly recommend brief, standard, quarterly reports. The 90-day cycle is a terrific planning cycle to check in on how you did (the past 90 days) and what you plan to do (the coming 90 days).

This doesn’t take me long, 1 or 2 hours every 3 months. It keeps me on track and focused.

Here’s what I do. First (and the majority of the short 1-plus page report): a quick look at the quarter just completed. I do this in two parts: metrics (regular, measurable items), plus a very brief narrative report (just one or two paragraphs). Here’s what I currently track:

Part One: Regular Metrics

• milestones on major writing projects (wrote x pages on next book, etc.)
• number of articles completed (for my own newsletter or other e-newsletters, websites, magazines)
• number of blog posts
• number of blogs views
• regular marketing: monthly newsletters sent, email outreach campaigns, networking quotas, etc.
• consulting services: number of editorial critiques & other work-for-hire projects completed
• speaking engagements or workshops (library, bookstore, writer groups)
• other metrics (size of key parts of my contacts database, etc.)
• article pitches in my tracking log (accepted, declined, outstanding)
• book proposals
• major income items
• major expenses
• the difference, a quick guesstimate of net profit

Part Two: Narrative Report

The narrative section mentions highlights: key short projects, milestones on longer-term efforts, other notable activities.

You can pull items from your daily appointment calendar or work log. You might scan your checkbook for important expenditures. (I bought a new printer. I bought and learned a couple of software programs, etc.). Or check your folder for receipts and billings.

You surely keep some sort of records. A quarterly report is just a matter of organizing those notes and gleaning an overview of what to highlight as a brief summary.

It doesn’t matter if a few items are missed. This is a planning tool: to get a sense of what is underway, what’s going well, and what might need attention.

The key: what is tracked is what gets watched. And more attention leads to improvement. Measure marketing contacts, income, or words written over time . . . and you’ll find yourself naturally starting to keep an eye on those as important to your business success.

And if you don’t know yet . . . then starting a report is a good way to help you think about the matter!

Part Three: Objectives for the coming 90 days

I close with a few lines to list these. I try to limit myself to 1 “big goal,” and a small batch (6 or less) secondary goals. More is not helpful to planning. And these are one-phrase summaries: to outline a particular new book project, to submit a final manuscript, to write two good articles per month, to approach a major client prospect per week. Etc.

Why do I do this report?

• Accountability. I imagine that I’ve got a board of directors that I’m reporting to. They don’t want to know all the gritty details of who, what, and when. They just want a thumbnail sketch of how I did this quarter.
• Historical Record. I like to keep track of what I did, and generally when.
• Satisfaction. It helps to know that I’m a working, productive writer.
• Focus. In the coming months, I’ll have more opportunities, setbacks, distractions, small ups and downs. Through it, I need to keep sight of the plan: the path through the forest.

My report is just 1 or 2 pages. I print, and file in a binder. That’s my Business binder. It also has my budget, annual income/expense reports, annual calendar of major repeating events (conferences, est. taxes, whatever), business plan. . . .

As a professional writer, you’re also running a small business. Be accountable. Keep your eyes on the prize. Set measurable objectives. As time goes (more than 2 quarters, definitely by 4), you will start to see patterns that will really help you make better, harder, more insightful choices.