It is that time again, time to design your New Year writing goals and give yourself a view of what is to come in your writing schedule. It is time to carve them into stone. It is time to send out those goals into the cosmos. Do whatever you need to do to get your mojo going!
THINK about your goals. Feel free to jot down a bunch of ideas but be terse, limit yourself to a few ideas you want to work on then expand on those later.
Rules For Establishing Goals
I always give myself four basic rules for establishing my writing goals. Yep there’s rules. Isn’t there always?
- Limit yourself to 3 to 5 attainable goals.
- Be brief.
- Be specific.
- Make them measurable.
This Is Not a Goal
“I’m going to write more in 2008” is not a goal. It’s wishful thinking.
This is an Attainable and Measurable Goal
“I’m going to write one 500 word article a month and write 3000 words towards my novella every month this year” is a realistic and most importantly measurable goal.
In case you missed it the first time:
- Be specific.
- Be brief.
- Each goal doesn’t need to be more than a line or two long.
When you are done, type them up and print off a few copies to post where you can see them as reminders. Leave some white space around them so you can jot down notes or upgrade as necessary. Put it near your computer, near your desk, in your day planner etc. Anywhere you can steal a moment to glance over them.
Expanding Your Goals
In a few days look at each goal and journal about the best way you can go about achieving it. It is also a good idea to journal about any road blocks you see — lists work great for this.
While it is important to get our goals out there, it is equally important to be flexible with our goals. Alter them as the year goes on or as your situation changes. Do not forget to treat yourself when you meet a goal. It can be something as simple as a fine meal, a new book, or if you are into it, a gold star. Celebrate your goal achievements!
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