Welcome to 2017, readers!!! How is the new year treating you thus far? For me, it’s been incredibly busy! Already. And we’re only three days in! (Today just so happens to also be my birthday.) But it’s important, I think, to take a step back and set goals for the new year. Where do you want to be in 6 months? In a year? What do you want for your career? For your writing? For your home?
Why even bother with goals?
I believe goals (not resolutions for change) are important because they allow us to chart progress. How do you know where you are headed, or how far you have progressed, if you don’t have goals? If not for goals, I image you must be living aimlessly, day to day, in some kind of rut…going through the routine of it all…now that must get old quick.
What kinds of goals should I set?
There is no set plan. But I think there should be goals in the different areas of your life: career/writing, family, home, personal, spiritual. And set goals not just for 2017. Set goals along the way as you feel they suit your situation. For my writing, for example, I set goals for each month to keep me on track. Then I set 6 month, year, 5 year, and “blue sky” (long term, dreaming sort of) goals with my other shorter term goals reflecting the steps to reach the longer term goals. My daily “to do” list even should reflect how I reach my set goals.
Example:
For my writing, one of my goals is to get my current novels published in the next three years, but I’m always working on something new at the same time. So my month goals look like this for now:
JANUARY
- self-edit “The Lady Bornekova” sequel
- gather feedback on sequel from beta readers
- Develop characters for NOVEL Q (in planning stages)
FEBRUARY
- fold in feedback from beta readers
- submit sequel to publisher
- begin self-editing “Trail of Fears”
- Sketch out plot for NOVEL Q
MARCH
- fold in beta reader feedback for “Trail of Fears”
- start writing NOVEL Q
- professional edits for “The Lady Bornekova” sequel should come in sometime this month
And so on and so forth…
Now it’s your turn…
What kinds of goals do you need to set? Grab a pen and paper (or open a fresh word processor document) and get started!