By Debra Eckerling, @WriteOnOnline
Author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning, and Achieving Your Goals
People tend to think the New Year is the most logical time to set goals. What tends to happen is we are so busy in January, ramping up after the holidays, that new goals fall by the wayside … and then off the radar completely.
Does this sound familiar?
January 1:
This is the year I am going to
- Write my nonfiction book/memoir/novel/anthology/pilot/screenplay
- Start freelancing/query new publications/sell my articles/poetry/short stories
- Find an agent/manager/publicist/publisher
- Create a website/blog/social media presence
- Move/date/network/travel/get healthy
February 1:
I totally blew it. I have had no time to work on my goals. Oh, well. I guess I’ll try again next year.
STOP!
Just because people think the beginning of the year is the best time to start fresh, it’s not the only time. You can pick yourself up and reboot your goals at any time.
However, to be successful, you really want to take the time to figure out what you want, as well as the motivation behind it.
Before you set your new goals, ask yourself:
- What do I want?
- Why do I want it?
- How can I get it done?
What do I want?
Whether your long-term goal is to be a published writer, known writer, or to have work-life balance, explore what that really means. Do you want to self-publish or go traditional? Do you need to up your marketing, social media, live networking, or all of the above? Is now the time to step off the hamster wheel and prioritize your personal goals?
Why do I want it?
The mission behind your goals is what will really propel you. Is it to inform, entertain, help others, help yourself? Pinpoint the answer, as that will help motivate you to put in the time and energy.
How can I get it done?
Once you have the what and the why, consider the how. What does your life look like and how can you fit your goals into it? Do you have an hour a day or an hour a week? Look at your availability, set appointments to work toward your goals, and show up for yourself. Even if you work toward your goals in small increments of time, it all adds up.
When you know what you want, why you want it, and how you can get it, you are better able to create a plan and set yourself up for success. And if you fall off the wagon, don’t fret.
Each week, day, and month is a new opportunity to start fresh. Remember, you can do it!
Debra Eckerling is the author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning, and Achieving Your Goals and founder of the D*E*B METHOD®. DEB is a brainstorming and task-based goal-setting system and stands for: Determine Your Mission, Explore Your Options, Brainstorm Your Path. A professional writer, communications specialist, and project catalyst, Debra works with individuals and businesses to set goals and manage their projects through one-on-one coaching, workshops, and online support. She is the founder of Write On Online, a live and online community for writers, creatives, and entrepreneurs, and host of the #GoalChat Twitter Chat.
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Thanks for the post today, Debra! This is the time of year a lot of goals have fallen by the wayside…great tips for rebooting.
Thanks, Elizabeth! And thank you so much for having me on your blog!
I do like the idea of reflecting on one’s goals, and rebooting them if that’s the right choice. Reassessing, resetting, and reflecting are all good ways to stay focused and make goals work, instead of feel frustrated because we’re not meeting those goals.
Exactly, Margot. When you know what you want, it makes it much easier to figure out what you need to do to get it done. It’s all about setting yourself up for success.
Goals can be set anytime! And best to make them doable and not impossible.
YES!!! Now, it is fun to mix in some “possible/probable” dream goals, but make sure you have plenty of attainable goals in there too!
Thanks for the post, Debra. Good to know that we can reboot at any time. I’m already someone who needs to.
Best of luck with your goals, Natalie! Yes, you can do it!
Goals should be analyzed every month and adjusted to fit.
Exactly. Whether you reassess every month, two months, or quarter, you can put a reminder appointment in your calendar to do so. List out and reflect on your wins and challenges, and then readjust your goals, if need be.