by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
This is the time of year when many people think about goals for the year.
The main reason I think New Year resolutions are so often discarded several months in…it’s too overwhelming to think about losing twenty pounds or exercising forty-five minutes a day or learning a foreign language, or whatever the goal is. Better to try losing a pound every week or exercising 15 minutes every other day or setting small daily goals for learning a new skill.
I think establishing a writing habit is more important than the actual resulting word count each day. If we can just make set our goal so low that it’s hard not to achieve it, then we can set up the practice of working on our story daily. That could be five or ten minutes a day. Being honest with yourself while goal-setting is so important. Maybe you’d like to think you can work every day for an hour on a project, but is that really doable? It’s also important to know the why behind your goal and its importance to you. Are you setting the goal because you’re determined and really want to see it through? Or are you setting it because it’s been on your list for a while (but you’re really not enthusiastic about following it through…which will make the task harder).
One thing I haven’t done that I’ve always heard is a good thing to do is to celebrate your ‘wins’, or the times you’ve met your goals. I recently read an article on Fast Company, “How to Make Your Big Goals Seem Less Overwhelming.” The post recommends tracking your goals each day and then celebrating a long streak.
They also recommend something else I’m not great at: being compassionate with yourself if you break the chain. As they put it: “…remember that progress isn’t lost.”
For further reading on better goal-setting:
Martha Alderson’s post, “Goal Setting for You and Your Characters”
Faye Kirwin’s post, “How to Set Super-Effective Goals (With a Little Help from Psychology”
Lesley Knowles’ post, “5 Obvious Goal-Setting Mistakes You Must Avoid”
Dean Wesley Smith’s “How to Keep Production Going All Year”
What are your goals for 2020? Have you kept them manageable?
Setting Manageable Goals for 2020: Share on XPhoto credit: Tilman.me on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC
Unrealistic goals is one of the reason most people don’t follow through on resolutions. I’ve just set the goal to work on edits for my story every night, no time frame, and I’ve manage to do at least an hour each night with no problem.
That’s fantastic! You’re going to have that book ready in no time. :)
I haven’t set any goals for the year. I’m focusing on today. What can I do *today* to move forward? I’m keeping a daily to-do list (and I bought a stack of memo pads so I have enough for every day this year), checking things off as I get them done. They have things like ‘update sales spreadsheet’ and ‘determine upcoming sales’. I haven’t put writing on the to-do lists, but I’ve set myself a goal of 1000 words every time I sit down to write and I’m trying to sit down every day. I’ve also taken up the idea of every time I think to myself ‘I don’t feel like it’, I do it anyway.
So far so good. I’m writing again. All of the honey-dos I’ve put off are almost complete. And I wrote 1000 words last night. New year, new attitude. =o)
I *love* lists and checking things off. Keeps me motivated.
I almost always feel uninspired when I sit down to write (and frequently while I’m writing, actually). It doesn’t seem to show up in the writing and now it’s really sort of a muscle memory thing…that I just sit down and knock it out. Congrats to you on your goal and your great progress!
Oh, I love to check things off on a list too!
I read somewhere that when you do this, it generates a little hit of dopamine…which would explain why it feels so good :)
That’s pretty cool! I didn’t know the science behind it, but that would definitely explain the surge I get. :)
I couldn’t possibly agree more about the wisdom of manageable goals, Elizabeth! Creating small, achievable goals, even if they’re very small (e.g. ‘This week, I’ll write one paragraph each day.’) is the best way to get to the larger goals without being overwhelmed. I tell my students the same thing.
A paragraph a day keeps the story thread going and develops a habit! Great advice for your students, Margot. :)
I didn’t put a word count on my writing goals this year, just to write every day. It’s day 13 and I’m on top of it. Lol.
The habit is really so much more important than the word count, isn’t it? Congratulations on day 13!
Little goals add up.
I have a lot on my list I just need to do, but that comes with running a business.
You have a lot of different hats to wear as a publisher! But you always get your stuff done. :)
I’m a list maker…both the macro long term goals and the micro daily/monthly tasks. My new goal is to try to be more focused on what I add to the list. But reading good blogs will still be there😉
Love my lists! I like your goal of curating your to-do lists and making sure they’re manageable. Thanks for stopping by my blog!
What a great post. Thanks!
Another great resource for taking small steps to reach your bigger goals is Stephen Guise’s book Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results. Here is a link to his blog on how mini-habits work. https://www.developgoodhabits.com/mini-habits-intro/ I’m definitely adopting a small-steps strategy to reach my goals in 2020.
Thanks, Heather! This is the second time I’ve heard good things about Guise’s book…I’ll check it out! I love taking small steps every day. :)
Agreed! Huge goals never work out for me – I much prefer the ‘take the next step’ approach!
So much easier that way!
This year, I ditched keeping count of how many words I write in the day. I did it last year to see if a writing schedule I set really helped (it did) but this year, I’m focusing less on word count and more on sitting down and working on of my WIPs.
To me, that’s what works best, too. So nice to have that string of ‘wins’ by just scheduling time to work on the book each day.:)
Hi Elizabeth – I’ll get there … winter blues (perhaps), birthday times delays the start, and then to settle – I’ve given myself to the end of February to be clear and I’m sure I’ll do it – there’s just lots – but never mind, I’ll plod on happily … with the interruptions of life along the way. Good luck for you – you’ve set your sights quite high this year – but you’ll mast them – you’re the organised professional. Cheers and happy New Year – Hilary
The interruptions are what makes everything interesting! :) Best wishes to you this 2020, Hilary.
Elizabeth, I never make New Year resolutions. However, I have a few unspoken/unwritten goals for 2020 that include doing yoga and meditation with dedication (now that I have rejoined a class), learning to let go and staying as positive as possible, reading and blogging more, and as you rightly point out, “establishing a writing habit” for my various writing projects.
Yoga and meditation have been on my list for years! I fear I’m too uncoordinated for yoga and I’m so distracted that my meditations involve pulling myself back in line after my mind wanders. A class might help, as you’re doing. Something for me to think about. :) Blogging is great for the writing habit. Happy 2020 to you, Prashant!
Happy New Year to you too, Elizabeth!
I rejoined a yoga class, 6 to 7 in the morning, because I’m too “distracted” to do it at home. Some of the breathing techniques can be practiced anywhere, even at one’s work station in the office. The benefits of yoga are many. Power yoga!
I’m not great at group exercise, but I’ve heard a lot recently about online yoga classes. :) I may give it a go, especially for the breathing which is something I shouldn’t be able to mess up even without an instructor around!
I am one of those unrealistic people. Sigh. I plan to be thinner, richer, and more prolific by next week. I should definitely take your advice and readjust my thinking.
Those all sound like awesome goals! I guess maybe we all need to put them on our 2 year plan or something, ha. :)