Brad isn't clever. 30 minutes. Unfiltered. Every day. Rinse. Repeat.

What motivates you? For me, it’s definitely the little bit of time I spend every now and then daydreaming about the future (which is weird, because that seems like a way to guarantee I’ll never be happy… always looking on to what’s next. I am happy, however. I’m in a good spot right now.)

I realize more and more that each day is another day I can be working towards a goal. I’m not talking about slaving away spending every waking moment trying to accomplish one task. That seems a bit much. If you’re trying to sculpt a life-size bust of Hugh Downs out of the lead from #2 pencils, then that may be the best way to approach the situation. If your goal is something that only takes an hour or two to complete, then it’d be easy and worthwhile to accomplish in one relatively brisk effort.

For most of us, that’s not the case. I dropped a good 40 pounds between my sophomore and junior year of college. The entire process began as soon as I set foot off the plane that carried my father and I from Pasadena to Dallas. I’m not sure why, but shortly after UT won the National Championship and “lived the dream”, I randomly decided it was time to get in shape.

I added a weight training class to my schedule and managed to exercise over the weekends as well. My success was a result of an hour or so three times a week and, more importantly, a conscious effort to discipline my eating behaviors.

Now that I’ve accomplished that goal, I know I can do it again. It doesn’t seem frightening or intimidating. What does start to get me frightened, is this goal of writing for a sitcom. I really, really want it, but that damned fear of failure does everything in its grasp to prevent me from pursuing that dream with full force.

This little experiment with Tumblr is one of the first steps I’ve taken to actively combat the problem. Tonight marks the seventh post, so I’ve succeeded in making it seven days while writing for 30 minutes each time.

The words come. They don’t always come easily, but they do come.

In order to keep connecting the dots, I’ve got to keep executing various elements of my long-term plan. At the heart of it, I still need to write for 30 minutes every day. I’d prefer if it’s unrelated. It’s a fun way to keep progress of everything.

Here’s what I’ve set out for myself:

1) Acquire a book to help learn basic script formatting and structure for sitcoms. [CHECK]
2) Establish the tumblr account to make sure I’m writing even on days when I’m really busy with the rest of my life. [CHECK]
3) Select a show to write a spec script for. [CHECK]
4) Begin an in-depth analysis of each episode of the show… Watch one to two a day and take notes to help understand characters, plot progression and typical layouts.
5) Start writing a spec script.
6) Complete the first draft of the spec script by April 1st.
7) Revise the script by April 15th.
8) Revise the script again by May 1st.
9) Get the script registered with the appropriate agencies.
10) Enter the script into the Austin Film Festival (deadline: June 1st).

It’s ambitious, but possible. In order to get there, I need to be devouring the book I purchased. I’m reading it a bit at a time, but not as fast as I need to in order to start pulling good material. I also need to be devoting about an hour a day at least to studying my target sitcom. I hope to get started with that tomorrow and will try to find a way to keep doing it during SXSW, even though it may not be really convenient.

Part of me worries about the time I won’t spend socializing with friends while working on this stuff. However, that’s the trade-off. Everyone has their own goals. Some people are good at taking care of them in the time when nobody sees them. Others choose to be around people constantly in order to distract themselves.

If I don’t hold myself accountable now, who will a year from now? I’m glad to have the job I have and the friends I also have. Ultimately, I want to use the one skill I’ve been honing longest, my sense of humor, to the test. I want to share it with people one on of the biggest stages possible. My current job, while a great experience, will not help me accomplish that goal. I need to be working to satisfy the requirements of my job during the day and work again to satisfy the requirements of my dreams before night falls.

Things get complicated when I add in another important gaol to me.

1) Get 8 hours of sleep each night.

I’ve settled with 7 hours a night on average for the last few weeks, but I need more. Sleep is a basic requirement of being well-rested and prepared for both work and play. Without a proper sleep schedule, I won’t be able to consistently arrive at work on time. That sort of problem could lead to a person getting fired, which would put me in a situation where I’d feel guilty to be doing anything other than looking for a place to work full-time again.

I love the job I have now. I will fight to keep it. So far, I think I’ve done a great job and have given nobody much of a concern to let me go. It’s a good feeling to get up and go to work in the morning because I like the people I work with. I haven’t always been in that situation.

And still, my heart lies with the sitcom. This is a battle I want to prove to myself. I feel like there are probably a good deal of people with as much talent as I have. Now, it’s going to be a matter of who can execute best. I doubt many of the best writers ever figure out how to pull off that stuff. Hell, I’ve seen some AWFUL writing on TV. For all I know, that could be a result of the people trying hardest being rewarded with writing jobs.

Nobody will know that you are the best juggler in the world if you never share it with other people. So remember to set your focus and stick to it. Don’t give up the fight. If you’re fighting for something you believe in and care about, then it should require less effort to get out of be each day and start tackling the minor goals in your way.

There’s an army of distractions out there for people, from video games to really compelling books to friends who always want to spend time with you. I like to visit many of these distractions from time to time, but the real trick is never staying long. If I play a video game for 30 minutes a week, then I don’t feel as bad as when I play 30 minutes a day.