How to Set Goals That Make Sense: A Writers Perspective

A guest post by Linda Formichelli of The Renegade Writer

Twice a year, in December as great as June, we work upon my hold up plan: Its similar to a commercial operation plan, though it encompasses career/finances, health, relationships, as great as volunteering. Each territory includes a short mission statement, a bullet-point list of goals, a bullet-point list of obstacles to those goals, as great as a divide or two where we brainstorm ways around or by those obstacles.

I dont check upon a hold up devise continually during a year just when we feel inspired. And when we go to it again after 6 months, we often find which we had internalized as great as met most of my goals though even trying.

Except a income goals. For years, each 6 months Id write out an income goal, brainstorm ways to encounter which thought as great as do positively zero different in my career to try to earn which extra income.

Eventually we smartened up, as great as realized two key things about environment goals:

1. Your goals need to be something we can control.

As a freelancer, its formidable to carry out how most clients we gain, how most assignments we get, or most money we have (though we can always fire for a range; after all, we need to eat). However, we can carry out how most queries as great as letters of intro we send out, how most marketing we do, as great as how most hours we work. Increase these, as great as youre expected to increase your income as a side benefit.

Why not try it yourself for 2011? Instead of observant we wish to have X amount of money or garner 5 assignments from national magazines, set goals which we can carry out similar to how most marketing we do. For example, my devise for 2011 is to conduct a approach mail debate to 900 internal businesses for my copywriting(100 down, 800 to go!).

2. Your goals need to enthuse! you.

Guess what? It turns out Im just not desirous by income goals. As long as we can support my family as great as we can do (within reason) what we want, Im okay. However, we am desirous by a appreciation we get from a writers we help by my e-courses as great as mentoring. This morning we had a customer who told me she had a large grin upon her face as we summarized a brand new thought for her. Now, which we similar to we just eat it up!

So my thought is to do some-more teaching as great as mentoring. (And of course, a some-more teaching as great as mentoring we do, a some-more money we make.) we also suffer writing for magazine editors who treat me well, so another thought is to seek them out, cling to onto them when we find them, as great as weed out PITA editors. As a byproduct, we have a great income given it takes me less time to do assignments from magazines with a low PITA factor.

These goals keep me a lot happier than operative my butt off to reach a little sorcery number we dont unequivocally caring about.

So what do we unequivocally caring about? Try to set goals which have sense for you, instead of caving underneath a pressure to set goals which we feel we should wish to reach.

Linda Formichelli has created for over 130 magazines given 1997, from Pizza Today to USA Weekend. She runs theRenegade Writer, one of a Top 10 Blogs for Writers 2010/11. She is a co-author of The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success

_____________________________________________________________________________

Im amazed during a resources of information in a A-List Blogger Club. Ive been blogging for multiform years though was not very s! avvy abo ut it, as great as we immediately done easy though high-impact changes to my blog formed upon a recommendation there. Im already seeing an uptick in readers, students, as great as clients!
Linda Formichelli, The Renegade Writer Blog