From Edie: Dr. Kennita Williams shares five ways Christian writers can refocus, release distractions, overcome perfectionism, and faithfully finish the year strong.
How Christian Writers Can Finish the Year Strong: 5 Ways for Writers to Refocus and Move Forward
by Dr. Kennita (Kay) Williams
September always feels like an interesting month to me.
We are far enough into the year to know which New Year’s resolutions did not make it past February, but there’s still enough year left to do something meaningful.
The calendar begins filling again. Fall schedules start moving. Conferences, ministry commitments, family responsibilities, writing deadlines, speaking engagements, and end-of-year goals all start competing for our attention.
And somewhere in the middle of all that movement, there may be an unfinished manuscript sitting on your computer.
A proposal you never submitted.
A devotional idea scribbled in a notebook.
A podcast you planned to launch.
Or maybe simply an assignment God gave you months ago that you have not finished.
As Christian communicators, this is where we have to be careful.
The final months of the year can tempt us to rush when what we really need is to recenter.
I have learned this in my own life.
I wear several hats, writer, speaker, coach, ministry leader, wife, mother, and entrepreneur. There are always more good things I could do than I have time to accomplish.
And I have discovered that when everything feels important, I can easily find myself moving quickly without actually moving intentionally.
That’s when I return to something I teach leaders all the time:
Pause. Plan. Proceed.
Before we race toward December trying to accomplish everything we wrote on a vision board in January, perhaps we need to pause long enough to ask God:
What did You actually ask me to finish?
Here are five things I believe can help every Christian communicator finish the year strong.
1. Return to the Assignment
Before you add another goal, go back to what God originally told you to do.
It is easy to become distracted by what everyone else is creating.
Someone launches a podcast, and suddenly we think we need a podcast.
Someone announces a book deal, and we question the manuscript we are writing.
Someone’s platform grows, and we begin adjusting our message to resemble theirs.
But comparison creates noise.
Calling creates clarity.
Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7 NIV).
Notice he did not say he finished everyone else’s race.
He finished his.
Ask yourself:
What has God placed in my hands to finish this year?
Start there.
2. Release What No Longer Belongs
Finishing strong is not always about doing more.
Sometimes it is about releasing more.
There may be commitments that were right for one season but are not right for this one. There may be ideas you love that simply are not assignments for now.
One of the hardest lessons for high-capacity people is realizing that good opportunities can still become distractions.
I have had to learn to give myself permission to pause, reassess, and sometimes say, “Not now.”
Releasing something does not necessarily mean it was wrong.
It may simply mean you are making room for what matters most.
3. Stop Waiting for Perfect
Writers know this battle well.
We edit the paragraph again.
Change the title again.
Research one more thing.
Tell ourselves we will submit it when it is “ready.”
And sometimes perfectionism disguises itself as preparation.
There comes a point when preparation has done its job and obedience must take over.
Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, “Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.”
There will always be another reason to wait.
At some point, you have to send the email.
Submit the article.
Finish the chapter.
Record the episode.
Make the call.
Your assignment does not require perfection.
It requires participation.
4. Protect the Pause
This may sound counterintuitive when we are talking about finishing strong.
But one of the worst things we can do in the final stretch is exhaust ourselves trying to prove we are productive.
Rest is not the opposite of progress
Sometimes rest is what makes progress possible.
Jesus modeled this throughout His ministry. Crowds needed Him. People were waiting. Needs were everywhere.
Yet He withdrew.
He prayed.
He rested.
He created space away from the noise.
If Jesus did not treat constant availability as a requirement for effective ministry, neither should we.
Protect some quiet space this fall.
Turn off the notifications.
Close the laptop.
Take the walk.
Pray.
Listen.
Sometimes the clarity you have been trying to manufacture arrives when you finally become quiet enough to receive it.
5. Choose Obedience Over Outcome
This may be the most important one.
You can finish the manuscript, and it may not become a bestseller.
You can submit the proposal and receive a no.
You can faithfully create content and not get the engagement you expected.
That does not make your obedience unsuccessful.
I have had to remind myself many times:
Obedience is the assignment. Impact is God’s business.
We do not control who reads the words.
We do not control which doors open.
We do not control the numbers.
But we can control whether we say yes.
Galatians 6:9 encourages us, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Maybe finishing strong does not mean checking every box you created in January.
Maybe finishing strong means arriving at December knowing you were faithful with what God entrusted to you.
So, before this year starts racing toward its conclusion, take a moment.
Pause.
Look at what is unfinished.
Pray over what is still on your plate.
Release what does not belong.
Then ask one simple question:
Lord, what would faithfulness look like for me between now and the end of this year?
Listen for the answer.
Then plan accordingly.
And proceed.
Not hurried.
Not comparing.
Not striving.
But clear.
Because for the Christian communicator, finishing strong is not ultimately about producing more words.
It is about being faithful with the ones God gave you.
A Prayer for the Final Stretch
Father, quiet the noise around me and within me. Remind me of what You have called me to do and give me courage to release what You have not. Free me from comparison, perfectionism, and the pressure to prove myself through productivity. Give me clarity for the remaining months of this year and the discipline to finish what You have entrusted to me. Above all, let my words, my work, and my obedience point people back to You.
Amen.
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Dr. Kennita “Dr. Kay” Williams is a leadership coach, speaker, and author who teaches leaders and communicators the power of pausing before proceeding. Through her Clear Vision framework, she helps others see well, be well, and lead well with clarity and faith. She is the author of 30 Days to Clear Vision and founder of Clear Vision Consulting®.
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