Written by Krystal Moore
The New Year is almost upon us. You can’t even remember last year’s resolution well enough to feel guilty about flaking out. Now, just as you were about to start planning your new New Year’s Resolution, you read these words:
“Now is the time to stop wasting time!”
Today is the first of Now-Vember. And sure, I just made it up, but then I discovered that countless others did too. So, I’m not the only one who is using the month of November to spur immediate action and extreme productivity.
The point: Don’t wait for the ball to drop in Time Square before getting on the ball yourself! In the spirit of “Carpe diem”, “YOLO”, “No time like the present”, and “Tomorrow is not promised”, here are six month long efforts to inspire 30 days of creativity and productivity. Find one you can get into right Now-vember!
Perhaps you’ve heard people say that NaNoWriMo is right around the corner and they don’t have a plan yet. Then you asked yourself, “What the heck is NaNoWriMo?”
NaNoWriMo is shorthand for National Novel Writing Month. People try to create a novel rough draft of at least 50,000 words – in only one month! Sounds crazy, right? That’s because it is. It’s crazy and insane and even if you don’t complete it, it gives you the push to really get started on something you’ve been dying to write.
So, dust off that idea you’ve been dreaming about and get started!
If you don’t have a story idea but plenty of characters to write about, then you’d have more fun with the 30 Characters Challenge.
This challenge involves creating 30 brand new characters throughout the 30 days of November. You can draw them so people see all their details or just give a brief character synopsis so we know all about your characters. After that, you can find a really cool idea for them later.
How about becoming a part of the November Photo Challenge? It’s pretty easy. On these websites, you’ll be able to find a list that gives each day of November a different theme. On each day, you will take a picture of something related to the theme and post it on your social media page. So, you do what you usually do but with an added twist.
No-Shave November (sometimes known as Movember) gives men the perfect reason to grow their facial hair. Not only can it keep you warmer in the colder days, but you’ll also be growing it for a good cause. The purpose of No-Shave November is to raise awareness of cancers specific to men. You grow your hair to grow awareness. So guys, keep growing that hair and use the money you would spend on shaving products to donate to worthy causes.
The No-Vember Challenge
No link for this one but it’s real easy. Just say no to the negative things in your life this month. Say no to super unhealthy foods. Say no to being mean to people when you’re upset. Say no to saying, “I can’t do this.” You can say no to everything that you don’t need and see how wonderful you feel come December.
The Choose-For-Yourself Challenge
Or maybe you’re not interested in any of these challenges. Then make your own!
Make November the month where you do one thing a day: a good deed, a new food, anything that pushes you towards what you truly want to be. There’s no limit to the challenges you can make for yourself. And yes, that means you don’t have to limit it to a one-month challenge. Just challenge yourself all year round with whatever you want to do.
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It may not feel like it, but there’s plenty of interesting things you can do before you set that Thanksgiving dinner down. Now-vember is the time to get started. So, pick a challenge (or two) and have fun!
