It's a horrible thing to admit, but I've been coasting since the start of the year. While I've had the chance to just get on with work, it's not good for my long term goals.

I started the year with the best intentions. I wanted to do so much this year, but six months on and I've nothing to show for my intentions. There's lots of reasons why my plans fell apart over the last six months. Loss of interest and motivation, doing just enough and simply punching in and out of my work day. It might keep my stress levels down by simply doing the work that I need to do, but in the long term this isn't going to keep me getting paid as a software developer in the future.

Coasting along isn't going to pay the bills in the future. Rather than simply doing the work, I need to keep learning on the job, writing about those experiences and re-using them in the future to deliver value in my work.

Costing along isn't going to build a successful freelance business with great clients. I have a handful of clients now that keep me busy, but I need to keep those clients by continually delivering good service and value.

Coasting along isn't going to make me spend more time reading and writing. Yes, I'm reading alot, but on the flip side my writing has tailed off in the last six months. Writing is not only something I enjoy but a possible revenue stream in the future if I decide to publish.

Coasting along is bad thing to do. You end up cheating yourself of new learning experiences, opportunities, a good career and more importantly, the life that you want. Coasting is a short term fix if things get hectic but in the long term it's not going to get you back on track. Eventually you're going to end up in the wilderness wondering what the hell happened.

For me it's time to get back on track.