Setting Goals

"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short,

but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark." 

Michelangelo Buonarroti 

Do you set goals? I'll admit, I'm not great at setting and sticking to long term goals. My tendency is to knock out the short term projects, and then allow other pressing items to crowd out long term ones. Once upon a time, my goal plan looked like this:


1) Set goals.
2) Do them.


While these points apply to all goals, they're a tad simplistic, right? And while I've learned much since formulating that original framework, I still seek a good balance, as responsibilities are ever changing. 

So how does one manage and accomplish both kinds of goals? Short term ones are often the most noisy, as they relate to daily life maintenance, whether for work, home, or other commitments. Long term ones often require more time and effort, a bigger investment of oneself, and perhaps a life change of some kind.

In my quest to be more intentional and get my act together, I researched setting goals and made a new list. Much I knew, but was inconsistent with application.


The New List:

 

1) Evaluate long and short term goals. Is it a dream? Is it a goal?  
2) Answer #1 and assess which ones are worth now pursuing. 

3) Define these pursuits, what each one is and means to life now. 
4) Make a plan with answers from #3.
5) Create a reasonable calendar to accomplish these goals. 
6) Pray about all of the above. Before, during, and after... :) 
  

During my research, I came across the SMART method, created by business psychologist George Duran. It offers a better breakdown to goal setting. (Visit this link for more details.) Here's a quick summary: 


1) Specific - set specific, concrete goals, avoid generalities.

2) Measurable - keep track of goals, keep a log/journal to record progress.

3) Achievable - be honest, make them realistic, stretch but don't push beyond your limits.

4) Relevant - ensure they're worth pursuing and relevant to your life.

5) Time bound - create deadlines to motivate and focus, then meet them.

More Related Links:

• Jim Rohn's - 4 Tips for Setting Powerful Goals  

• Writing Worlds' - Setting Effective Writing Goals 

• Michael Hyatt's - The Beginner's Gide to Goal Setting 

• Linda Formichelli's - How to Set Goals that Make Sense

While this isn't a comprehensive guide, it reflects my efforts to get better focused and organized. We're always learning something, aren't we? :)  

What helps you accomplish your goals? What are your goals for 2017?

Happy writing,

Karen

  

Photo credit: Free Images

 

6 Tips for Staying on Task

Last week's post discussed distractions that keep us from writing and other important tasks. I asked you to share what distracts you and what you do to stay focused. The internet was the biggest offender and solutions ranged from ignoring it to writing elsewhere (on paper, a desktop with no internet access, etc.). Other offenders included chores and phone calls. Thanks for all the input!

It's an ongoing battle, filtering out distractions and defying procrastination. As I considered your comments and insight, I thought about the next step. Even with the best of intentions, writing time isn't always as productive as we'd like. How can we keep writing and life balanced yet stay on task?

1) Prioritize - Everything clamors for attention, so weigh things in order of importance. When in doubt, pick an item, do it, and cross it off the list. Voila! Progress.

2) Set Goals - Daily, weekly, or whatever works best. Without a target, we wander aimlessly and get little done.

3) Deadlines - Even self imposed ones can motivate and build self discipline and productivity. The feeling of accomplishment after meeting one? Priceless.

4) Budget Time Spent on Social Media - Assess where time is spent (Facebook? Twitter? Pinterest?) and set reasonable time limits. Little "deadlines" like this can help us work more efficiently.

5) Utilize Unproductive Time - I heard Roger Palms (author and former editor of Decision Magazine) speak at a conference years ago. He stressed the importance of taking advantage of unused time. We aren't always aware of it - five minutes here, ten minutes there - while waiting for a call or before leaving for an appointment, etc. I call these potentially productive stretches pockets of time, and use them to write a paragraph or two, visit blogs, do internet research, etc. They provide opportunities to chip away at the to-do list.

6) Keep Moving Forward - We reach our destination by taking one step at a time. Meeting a goal provides a sense of satisfaction. This stifles doubts and boosts confidence.

What would you add to the list? How do you stay on task?

Happy writing,

Karen 

 Photo credit: Stock Exchange

The Wish List

Have you ever made a wish list? As a kid, mine included toys. As an adult, it includes a new Jeep Grand Cherokee. :)

How about a wish list of a different sort, the kind that includes goals and dreams? Ever made one of those?

When I worked as a consultant for a New Jersey homeschool network, we had a program that included curriculum counseling for parents/students.

The high school program's customized educational plan included encouraging teens to make up a wish list. We'd ask them a series of questions, including the following:

• Who inspires you? Why?
• What careers interest you?
• What causes are important to you? 
• Where would you like to travel? To live?
• What types of books do you like to read?
• What activities and hobbies do you enjoy?
• What period of history interests you most? Why?
• Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?
• If money were no object, what activities or goals would you choose?

We found that wish lists often contained cues or patterns - items or areas that students might pursue via study, hobby, recreation, volunteering, etc. This in turn, could offer clues for careers, goals, and dreams. We encouraged students to add to and reassess their lists throughout their high school years and beyond.

This wish list idea crossed my mind the other day, and I thought about it in relation to writers. What might we learn if we asked ourselves similar questions and made a wish list? Could it help focus a dream? Spur us to reach for a lofty goal? Clear mental clutter and confusion? Light a fire in a discouraged heart?

I wonder if a wish list should be a requirement for writers to help us dream big - to encourage us, reveal strengths, interests, and potential writing opportunities. What do you think?

While working on this post, I found this quote by Les Brown. Thought it rather fitting.

Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.

Swinging among the stars doesn't sound too bad, does it?

What could a wish list do for your writing? I encourage you to give it a try. There's nothing to lose but a bit of time, and who knows, you may just find that niche, goal, or dream you've been looking for. You won't know until you try.

Where do your writing dreams take you? What does your wish list include?

Happy writing,

Karen 


Photo credit: Stock Exchange

Content copyright Karen Lange, 2013. No text may be used without prior permission.

Great Goals!

The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, 

but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.

Michelangelo Buonarroti 

Ever have a quote snag your attention? This one grabbed me. With 2012 drawing to a close, I'm thinking about goals - ones I've met and others that fell by the wayside. For 2013, I'm determined to make changes, sow more self discipline, and press forward to make certain projects a priority. In other words, I'm aiming higher.

This Renegade Writer's post, Anti-Schedules for the Freelancer Who Hates Scheduling landed in my inbox yesterday, and wouldn't you know, writer Dianna L. Gunn addressed a few issues that hinder my goals. Talk about timely encouragement. :)

I'm curious, do you set goals? Are they short term? Long term? Both?

What do you do to make your goals a reality?

Do your goals hover above sea level or soar amongst the stars?

I've a few articles to finish, and of course, goals to review, so I'll be taking a break till 10/29. See you then. :)

Have a great weekend!

Karen 

Photo Credit: Stock Exchange: Colorado October 

Are You Moving?

Moving, in one form or another, has been the topic around here lately. This past weekend, my husband, kids, and I moved my mother in law into a new home. It wasn't a long distance move, just several miles down the road from where she'd previously lived.

It got me to thinking, am I moving forward with my writing? I guess that you could call it a delayed New Year's resolution musing. In some ways I think I'm making progress, in others, not so much.

What is considered a good writing move? A long one? Short ones? I've made short moves forward, such as writing blog posts or an article for a women's magazine. I think that a long move might be to enroll in writing classes, or write in a completely different genre, or to start a novel and see it through to publication. I think that the long and short moves add up to the finished product. We need the long, the short, and everything in between to get to where we are supposed tobe. What do you think?

While we're on the topic of moving, here's a site with info if you are planning an actual physical move, like my mother in law just did. New York Movers offers moving services for an across town or cross country move. Their concept is interesting; the site matches people with moving companies. Consumers post details about the move, location, how much stuff to be moved, etc. and they provide bids from moving companies. This would have come in handy when we moved from New Jersey to Kentucky six years ago.

Well, enough of my musings. Please share your thoughts, digressions, and musings, and tell us about your latest writing moves. Moving out of state, out of the country, out of a genre, or out of the computer chair? :) Hoping that you are, like me, moving forward.

Happy writing!