Still, after the overeating and undersleeping that is the holidays, I admit I feel especially compelled to ask myself: What’s next?

Otherwise, gravity and lack of inertia might keep me from ever resuming work again.

I feel especially dazed and bloated today. Last week, I baked seven pound cakes and six varieties of Christmas cookies. I chopped and pureed six cauliflowers and trimmed and roasted six pounds of Brussels sprouts to bring to Christmas dinner (an affair that lasted 8.5, long hours). Then, the day after Christmas, I hosted a dinner party at my condo. Because — apparently — I wasn’t yet tired of cooking and stuffing my face.

For the love of god, I need something new and exciting to pull me back into my work. So what’ll it be?

1. I received Sambuchino’s 2012 Guide to Literary Agents for Christmas, so I’m going to read through it and start my third wave of queries for my book proposal.

2. I’ve finished putting together a freebie I think you’ll really enjoy. I just need to find someone to make it pretty for me before it makes its grand debut. Anyone want to talk design and layout rates with me?

3. 2011 was filled with big projects from regular clients and, as a result, querying fell by the wayside. I’d like to make a big return to querying new markets, just to keep my mix of projects and assignments interesting.

4. This year, I’m going to push myself in new ways, even if it makes me want to projectile vomit. To that end, I’m going to start pulling together my panelist presentation for April’s ASJA conference, and also put together a proposal for another conference I’d like in on in May.

5. I know. I should be thinking about Word Nerd Networking. And I have chatted with several people about organizing a digital publishing panel, and a yoga + journaling workshop. But what I’ve really been daydreaming about is putting together a yoga and writing retreat. The place I went to the other month is open to proposals for new retreats. So I’m going to start chatting with other retreat organizers and taking a close look at other retreat agenda’s in an effort to design The Most Perfect Retreat Ever. Suggestions are welcome.

So what’s next for you?

Related: Career Stalled? What You’re Doing Wrong, Pinpointing Dream Job #328, Making Goals Manageable in the New Year

[$21.95, Crate & Barrel]

On December 31, I posted a New Year’s resolution over at Modern Materialist, wherein I vowed to start pitching again. At the moment, my goal is to have 10 pitches out at any given moment (setting a specific goal is so helpful; Rachel Rose over at Notes on a Whim is doing the same thing).

I’m already up to five, so I’m feeling good about things. But I have to admit, my collection of magazine back issues has dwindled considerably, mostly because my filing system for them was crap, so I had to recycle, recycle, recycle.

I’d like to set up a new system for keeping the back issues I so often refer to when pitching. After the jump, some pretty-as-heck magazine files:

[$27, See Jane Work]

[$18, See Jane Work]

[$18, See Jane Work]

[$17.50, See Jane Work]

2008 started out strong. I was finishing up an internship at Material Media (of Nerve and Babble fame), and gearing up to take on more hours at the New York Sun. And then I was chosen to be a blogger for Modern Materialist.

Soon after that, I realized that — only six months after leaving my full-time job in academic book publishing — I had matched my previous salary. I reveled in my blogging gig, was content with my regular copy editing gig at the Sun, and was also doing freelance work for several book publishers. I even got the occasional writing clip. I began planning for more.

I continued my self-education, and began blogging about blogging for Smarter Than Your Average Blog (a gig I eventually left behind). I also began considering a path toward career coaching, and career-related writing. I did extensive research and conducted informational interviews. I was all set to enter a certification program when everything went to hell.

The Sun folded, and the rest of the industry (not to mention the economy at large) followed suit. I no longer had the income necessary to sign up for a coaching certification program. I floundered trying to figure out whether or not I was cut out for freelancing, and what I even had to offer. I struggled unsuccessfully to find a part-time job in the publishing field.

I’ve since gotten a number of new clips (see here, here, here, and here), but I have yet to take advantage of the momentum, and suffer from mood swings and lack of motivation. Can I turn things around in 2009? Perhaps. If I’m willing to learn from my mistakes.

After the jump, 10 things I did wrong in 2008:

I did everything right when preparing for my departure from the corporate world. I did my research. I secured a steady gig that would allow me the time to grow as a freelancer. I discussed the risks and ramifications with my husband. And then I jumped.

1. The only thing I neglected to do was to save money in the event that I failed.

As a result, I placed myself under constant stress,  always worrying about money, and living from paycheck to paycheck. To make matters worse, my already existing credit card debt made it impossible to keep up with my bills, or to save any money. It wasn’t until the summer of 2008 that I regained control of my finances, and I was on the path to be credit card debt-free within a year. Then I lost the Sun.

For the love of god, people. Make sure you’re financially prepared before making a similar leap. It will save you from developing an ulcer, and turn a big risk into a much smaller one.

2. Getting that regular copy editing gig was a godsend, but it was short-sighted of me to place all of my eggs in one basket. Aside from the odd project sent my way by personal contacts, all of my income stemmed from two ongoing projects. It didn’t occur to me to consider the possibility that either of them might one day disappear. As a result, I never actively pursued other work. I was lucky for awhile, but the luck eventually ran out.

3. What I should have been doing was aggressively marketing myself, but I didn’t know how. Instead, I was passive, allowing my LinkedIn profile to languish, not taking advantage of the powers of social bookmarking sites, and certainly not cold contacting possible clients…all things I should have been doing constantly, no matter how well my work was going.

4. Part of the reason I had so much trouble with this was because I had lost sight of my end goal. Career goals are constantly evolving and, in reevaluating mine, I felt suddenly lost. What type of work did I want to be doing? Who were my dream clients? Was full-time freelancedom even the right set-up for me?

5. It eventually became clear to me that a career in vocational coaching would fit my interests perfectly, while still allowing me the flexibility to write and eventually become an at-home mom. It would even give me the legitimacy I desired to eventually publish the types of books I wanted to be writing! It was a perfect plan, but when it was (hopefully only temporarily) derailed, I had no contingency plan. Hence, the past four months of confused floundering.

6. I should have used this time to busy myself with other things that would make my present platform stronger. I wanted to work toward monetizing Freelancedom. I wanted to start pitching magazines again. I wanted to experiment with other forms of passive income, such as selling photos to stock photography sites. The number of small, stopgap ideas overwhelmed me, and I was unable to organize my time well enough to take any action.

7. The small victories I did make were isolated, and I didn’t continue the momentum by repitching to publications that had recently published my pieces, or keeping up with Freelancedom when audience numbers began to grow.

8. I isolated myself, never leaving my condo to exercise or socialize. I was a bit of a recluse, and I felt lonely and unhealthy.

9. I was unable to maintain self-discipline in the face of this complete lack of motivation. I took longer breaks between tasks. I completely stopped sending out pitches. I began to consider my freelance experiment a failure, and wondered if it was even worth making the effort anymore.

10. I let myself succumb to depression. I allowed myself to forget my accomplishments.

In a way, this was the biggest mistake of all. Looking back over the past year, I’m amazed to see the ground I covered…the things I accomplished. It’s proof that, when I put my mind to something, I can make it happen.

When you’re facing a period of confusion…a loss of faith in yourself…please do catalog the things you’ve already accomplished…how far you’ve managed to come. It’s a mood booster, and a testament to possibility.

I promise to try harder in 2009, and to learn from my mistakes. Hopefully, I will remain worthy of my readers.

My goals for the new year?

To focus less on blogging and more on publishing independent pieces in additional online and print publications.

To save up the money for a career coaching certification program.

To stop worrying about money.

To fit into my jeans again.

Lofty and admirable goals all, not to mention unimaginably daunting.

How can I set the right goals for 2009…the types of goals I can actually accomplish?

It all comes down to breaking down larger goals into smaller, more specific, and more manageable pieces. Take my first goal. How am I going to end up in Glamour magazine if I spend all my time skimming through products blogs and doing up posts for the Modern Materialist? Simple:

- Confine Modern Materialist-related work (both research and writing) to a specific time each day.

- Draw up a spreadsheet with at least 20 story ideas.

- Brainstorm 3-5 possible markets per story idea, and write down the title and contact person at each publication.

- Draw up pitch letters for each story idea.

- Throw caution to the wind and send ‘em out. Attempt to have at least 10 pitches out and making the rounds at any given time.

- Remember to send followups.

- Ooh! Also, try sending out Letters of Interest as well, as per this post by Jenny Cromie of The Golden Pencil.

As simple as any checklist, these are action items that can easily be accomplished.

And, with luck (and all that hard work), the end result will be World Domination in the writerly realm.

Start breaking down your own more general goals into bite-sized, manageable pieces, and share your final list of action items in the comments!