Quick tip 1: Goal Setting The Easy (and Doable) way

Post 1 in the Quick Tips series for 2020.

​‘A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,’ Shakespeare said, so call them what you like – goals, targets, resolutions, dreams – it doesn’t matter, but read on to find out why and how they’re my, and quite possibly your, new best friend.

​What is a goal, and why do I need one?

Put simply, a goal is something you aim for; a dream you want to achieve, that you can tick off when you’ve done it. They give us something to work toward, and a sense of achievement when complete them.
Whatever your dream, you either won’t get there, or it’ll take much longer to if you don’t set a firm goal with a date to achieve it by. How do I know this? I’m the Queen of Trial, Error, and Procrastination, or at least I was in the past. I struggled to even think one up, and if I did, I failed to set a date, and I didn’t write it down. Long story short, I pretty much pushed myself out to sea in a small boat with no way of steering toward where I wanted to go, if you get my drift.
This year I’ve changed my errant ways. Read on to see how I intend to correct the error of my 2019 ways in 2020.​

“It’s no good dreaming about something if you’re not prepared to commit to it. Setting goals with dates, and writing them down is the key first step toward success.”
​– Emily Larkins, Author.

​So how do I choose a goal, and what’s the first step to achieving it?

​So how does one ‘set a goal?’ I won’t profess to be an expert on this, but I can offer advice and tips from what I’ve done. I’m not the first to write on this, so if you’re not convinced, do some research. Here’s my method:

1. Learn from the past – look back on previous years. Did you achieve what you expected to? If so, how. If not, why not? Last year I set a time goal. I achieved it on average, but in hindsight, had I set a productivity goal, I would have progressed further with my writing, which is what I really wanted. Lesson learned the hard way.
2. Brainstorm – what would you like to achieve? Think big and broad, and don’t limit yourself. Do you want to publish a regular blog, book or story? Would you like to set up a writing space, query agents, run a marathon, or start a business? Write down all your dreams.
3. Estimate how long each idea could take. You don’t have to be exact. I grab three or four highlighters, assign each colour a time estimate (for example, one month, six months, one year, five years +) and get highlighting.
4. Narrow down. Depending on how much time you can dedicate to your goal/s, you’ll find some will work for you now, whilst others might be best saved for later. It’s likely there’ll be a standout for you, an idea that sparks excitement. It’s easier to be motivated by something exciting rather than difficult. However, if there’s something urgent but you’re less passionate about, set an incentive (perhaps a smaller, more exciting goal) to reward yourself with. You could do both goals alongside each other, or keep the more exciting goal for a treat after the first. Make it manageable.
5. This is the KEY FIRST STEP TO ACHIEVEMENT: Write your goal/s down and set a date to achieve it by. Do it somewhere you will see it every day, better yet, go for multiple places. I’ve got mine written on my desk, as well as in my planner. Make your goal/s visible.

​In theory, it’s as simple as that. Try it for yourself and let me know how you go.

Catch my next blog post to find out how to achieve your goal within your set time.

Happy goal setting,
Emily.

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​Did you find this tip helpful? Would you like to find out more? Do you have ideas to add that have worked for you? If so, please comment. I’d love to hear what you think.