November 1st, I did better than I could have hoped. Don't know how, don't know why, I'm not questioning it. We don't look a gift-muse in the mouth. We just say thank you, and take it.
With that in mind, November 2nd was still, uh, awesome?
But I did have something crop up halfway through the day that I thought was interesting and/or amusing...
So, for context, I write in 20 minute timeblocks, otherwise known as writing sprints. Then I take a 10 minute break. Rinse and repeat. I will usually write for a minimum of 2 hours like this, which is 1Hr 20Mins of active writing time.
As previously mentioned, Nov 1st I did really well. (Keep in mind I'm REwriting a draft, so none of this is new-drafting, which takes me significantly longer) But in Four 20Min sprints I managed to knock out a frankly ridiculous 3,527 words.
Today, November 2nd, after the EXACT same number of sprints, and the EXACT same type of writing (I didn't need to draft any entirely new scenes, or anything else that would slow me down) I managed to produce 2,396 words.
And I have a point, bear with me...
Because I used to track my progress via WORDcount. And while, as you can see, I do still make a note of my wordcount (because it's fun!), I no longer use it as a metric for my progress, and Nov 1st & 2nd is a perfect illustration of why.
Same situation, same rewrite, same time of day, same amount of time writing. Everything should have worked out to have at least a similar word count, but there's a huge discrepancy here. A mismatch of over a thousand words (1,131 words, to be exact)
So, yeah, I make note of my word count because it's fun, but what I use as a metric for progress these days is How Much Time I Spend Writing, which is why I actually track my sprints as well.
I also find this easier when editing. Because tracking word count when I'm editing was an absolute headache.
But, I digress, 2,396 for November 2nd is still incredible, and I was thrilled with it... but it's not actually enough to earn me my three slices of cheesy garlic bread. So I kept writing this evening, added another 2 sprints to my quota for the day (Bringing my total time up to 2 Hours of actually writing)
And tipped my word count for November 2nd over to 3,867.
Am I delighted? Yes
Am I terrified this isn't going to last? Also yes.
But we make the most of it while the inspiration is flowing.
And now, it's 11:59pm and I'm going to go and have my garlic bread. It's been well earned today. Roll on tomorrow!
Tracking Sobriety: Data-Smart Halfway Metrics in Texas
WHY TRACK PROGRESS AFTER DETOX?
Numbers give recovering residents a way to see the climb, not just feel it. A seven-day curfew streak or three straight 12-step meetings turns abstract hope into visible proof that change is happening.
STARTER METRICS EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS
- Curfew check-ins
- Chore completion rate
- Meeting attendance
- Job search hours logged
Simple to record, these stats flag early slips so staff can step in before cravings snowball.
DATA THAT ADAPTS TO REAL TEXAS LIFE
Urban Austin residents may log bus rides to work, while someone in Llano tracks miles driven to meetings. Benchmarks flex with each setting so no one feels judged by a city-centric scorecard.
MORE THAN A SCOREBOARD
Charts open weekly coaching talks: is poor sleep dragging the mood line down? Does a spike in overtime cut into support group time? Metrics ask the questions; people craft the answers.
Transparent, shared data keeps the house fair, hopeful, and moving toward sustainable freedom.
