The best way to accomplish something is to first set a goal. Then take a step in the right direction and you are already heading towards success. But making goals is easy, while accomplishing the goal is hard.
So, how do you make a goal and stick to it? Well, goals aren’t all the same. To be able to reach your goal, you need to know how to make a SMART goal.
How to make a SMART goal:
- Be Specific
- Make it Measurable
- Make it Achievable
- Make it Relevant
- Make it Timely
Be Specific
One reason you might not be accomplishing your goal is because your goal is too vague. For example, if your goal is to be a writer, how will you know if you have accomplished it?
Instead make your goal more specific, like writing picture books, magazine articles, blog posts, or short stories. Focusing on one kind of writing will also make it easier to focus on specific skills for each genre.
Make it Measurable
Just being specific isn’t enough. You need a number to know whether or not you have accomplished the goal.
Instead of saying you will write a lot of picture books, give it a number. I will write 12 picture books. This way you know whether you have reached your goal. If you only have 5 picture books, you know you need to write 7 more. If you have written 13, then you know you can celebrate.
Make it Achievable
Be realistic when you make your goal. If you want to write 100 picture books, that will take a long time. It might be your career goal, but you want to make the number more achievable.
Writing 3 picture books is a lot easier to accomplish than writing 100. Remember that you have other things happening in your life. How much time can you realistically spend on writing?
Make it Relevant
If you love basketball, maybe your goal is to make 100 baskets. This is a great goal, but how is this goal going to help you with your writing?
You want to break your writing goal down into smaller goals. If you want to publish a picture book, you would need to first write the manuscript, revise it, send it to a publisher, and then get it published.
Knowing that not all your stories will get accepted by the publisher, your goal might be to write 3 picture book manuscripts.
Make it Timely
Writing 3 picture book manuscripts may seem easy, but if you never get around to writing them, then your goal is useless. Give yourself a deadline. This keeps you from procrastinating forever.
You will write 3 picture book manuscripts in a year. At the end of the year you can check to see if you have accomplished your goal. Since a year is a long time, you could change your goal to writing 3 picture book manuscripts in a month.
This way you will know whether or not you have accomplished your goal at the end of the month. If you have, then celebrate. If you haven’t, then you know you need to modify your goal and make it easier.
Write your SMART goal
Now it’s time to write your SMART goal. What is something you would like to accomplish in the new year? What is something you would like to get done in the next month?
Is your goal to big? Break it down into smaller goals. Check off each accomplishment as you go. Remember to celebrate your success!