When I started out making goals for this year, I had no idea where to start. I looked around for a template, but I couldn’t seem to find one that was cheap enough and fit my needs. (I was looking to make life-related goals, not just business goals or financial goals.)
Eventually, I looked up “how to make yearly goals.” I found a template, which I looked over and realized was perfect. So I copied and pasted it and put it in a document.
First, I chose a theme that would encompass all my goals for this year. For me, that was “learning and growing as a person.” Next, I chose three big picture goals–I’ll only share one here: improve writing skills and publicity.
Next, I broke each goal down into quarterly milestones. For this goal, mine are as follows:
· Q1: Work on my writing community and
professionalism.
· Q2: Work in depth with the anthology
launch team. (Yes, I’m the head of a team that wants to get an
anthology published.
· Q3: Study story elements in already
written books.
· Q4: Help others with their writing.
After this, each quarter was broken down into months. Here’s how it looks for the year:
Q1: Work on my writing community and professionalism.
· January: Develop my brand and hone my advertising.
· February: Make a list of writing skills and rate myself.
· March: Put together a writing portfolio + resume.
Q2: Work in depth with the anthology launch team.
· April: Get the street team together and help them launch.
· May: Work with the street team + get emails together for them.
· June: Publicize the book + make contacts with those who might want
to do it again.
Q3: Study story elements in already written books.
· July: Make a list of books you want to look at and a list of story elements.
· August: Study and make notes on observations.
· September: Sort out observations for course notes!
Q4: Help others with their writing.
· October: Listen to/read editing lessons.
· November: Participate more in my writing critique group and/or editing
and feedback space.
· December: Offer to alpha/beta read for someone.
If some of those terms don’t make sense, that’s okay. You’re still getting the general idea. :)
Next, I figured out how to implement these skills. I decided to work on the goals on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, depending on which main goal I’m working on and how that can be implemented. Then, I decided to take the first Friday of each month to look over the previous month’s progress, and the first Saturday of each quarter to see how the previous quarter has turned out. As I look over everything, I’m going to write down progress, review how I could have implemented better, and prepare for the next month or quarter.
Finally, I also wrote myself a note, reminding myself that there is always time. I don’t have to achieve everything in one year–I don’t even have to achieve every single goal in each year. There will probably be months that it’s harder to make progress in one area, and that’s fine. I can still keep learning and growing throughout life–there’s no rush!
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