I don’t so much have a point today as a question for you, adventurers.
I’ve never gotten out of the habit of thinking about the year in terms of the academic calendar.
Even though I’m several years out of school (eep) my husband is still in grad school, and his schedule guides how we organize our year.
So the summer, to me, is as much a time for goal setting as the new year. It’s a great time to reevaluate, to get myself on track, and to think about what I want to accomplish in the next (academic) year.
Yesterday, husband and I were discussing our mutual goals for the year. He, getting ready to start his last year of his PhD program, had two simple goals: to find a job, and to teach a lot (which is something he enjoys).
Me? I had a bunch of goals.
- I need to continue growing my copywriting client base so that I’m ready to move next year.
- I want to finish my novel (of which I am currently rewriting large parts) and start querying agents.
- I want to take advantage of being near New York to do more film and commercial work and audition for some casting agents up there.
- And I want to not get so bogged down in all of my work that I stop having a personal life.
My husband, after I finished my litany of goals, looked at me like I was out of my mind. “How,” he asked, “are you going to manage all that?”
I didn’t really have a good answer other than, “By doing it all.”
How do you set goals? Do you have one main thing that you focus on at a time? Or do you, like me, have a list of things you want to accomplish and have to figure out how you’re going to divide your time between it all?
How do you do goals?
I’d love to know.
PS – Need a little structure for setting your own goals?
Or did you set goals at the beginning of the year, but need to take some time now to reevaluate what is and is not working?
Take a look at my one-page business plan template to get yourself on track, then come back and let me know how you’re doing!
Ever since I’ve published my first novel and have been in galley stages for the second (not the mention writing the third), goals have suddenly sprung up that never existed before – related to writing, publication, and promotion. I tend to write them all out in a planner or mark it on my Dayviewer calendar, but I really need to work more on the “tactics” behind each action – which your business plan reminded me of!
I love your answer, by the way. That’s really the only way to accomplish goals – doing it all. When you want to do something, you just find the time to do it!
I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks that way! I suppose a lot of it depends on personality, though — I’m one of those people who gets bored if I don’t have a million different things going on, but for some people just focusing on one big project at a time is the only way to move forward.
Good luck with all your marketing and promotion work — I think that’s the hardest part about any sort of creative work!