HOW GOALS WORK
It's that time of year, the holidays are almost over and we're all looking to welcome in 2021 and with that, maybe, we're setting goals. Personally I do monthly goals, bi-monthly goals, and yearly goals as well. I also check in with those yearly goals through the middle of the year and make sure that I'm on track to get the big things done.
So today I thought that I'd give you some pointers on both making goals and how they work for me, and other writers. You don't have to be making yearly goals, if you feel monthly or quarterly are better for you, then you can still use these tips and make yourself the right kind of goals for you.
The one big things about making goals is that they should be manageable, they should be something that you, reasonably, can achieve in the time scale. When I make bi-monthly goals, I always make sure they are things that have to be done in that time scale, if I make a goal that has some flexibility to it, then I find I don't really get it done. Like I've been trying to research ads for the past year or so, but because it wasn't something with a deadline, I've been putting it off. So now I've added a deadline and I'm motivated to get it done.
Goals work because they stretch you slightly, there's no point in setting goals that you can manage really easily because then it's just a case of you ticking them off, and there's no pressure to get them done. It's easy to fall into the trap of setting goals for things that you know, without much effort, will get done. I've fallen into that from time to time, but now that I'm doing bi-monthly goals and such, I'm finding it good to start stretching myself a little bit at a time.
There are some parts that I can't stretch myself on, because I have several chronic conditions, I can't keep pushing to the point where I make myself unwell. But that doesn't mean that I don't push myself at all. I try to aim for things that I don't know my limits yet, and am still trying to feel them out. That's what goals can do, they can help you find your limits, and show you just how far you can stretch to reach a bigger point, or more, and all of that.
Goals are a great motivator, but you need to be sure that you're hitting the right things, and part of them comes from practise, some it is a bit of trial and error. Like when I first started setting myself chapters for the month, I didn't start with chapters themselves, but pages, and from there, after a few months, I found what worked for me, and hitting those goals are good because I'm pretty sure that I can hit them. Of course there are times when I don't hit them, when I'm sick, or when things aren't possible, other things will get in my way, but the point of the goals is that I'm motivated to try and reach the final limit.
Goals can be a great thing to use to make sure that you hit deadlines, they can be a way to help you stay productive, but you do need to be careful, about, as I said, not stretching to the point where you're going to burn out or push yourself (in my case) into a flare. It's really important that when setting goals that you leave some wiggle room for either catch up days and days off because you can't except to turn up everyday and get the same output. It works for some people, but I've found that it's not healthy, and inevitably ends up leading to burnout.
So there are my bits and pieces about goals, when you're ringing in the new year, no matter which kind of goals you make, think about making sure they are goals that can work for you, and also allow you some breathing room. Go forth and make your goals and I wish you every luck in achieving them!
Any questions? Lemme know in the comments below!
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