Blog by Toby Welch

<< back to article list

Writing Goals

File:Finish (6843346474).jpg 

Writing goals are like a blueprint of where you want to go in your writing journey.

Are you well on your way to meeting your writing goals? Or should you set new ones? Did you set your original goals with low expectations? You have a two options – you can aim to reach the goals you have already set and then bask in the knowledge you were successful or you can reset your goals, taking into consideration what you have already accomplished. Or maybe your goals just need a bit of tweaking? (You have set writing goals for yourself, haven’t you?)

If you want to do a goal review, block out a couple hours on your schedule to do an assessment. Round up your list of goals, your business plan (if applicable), and any other data necessary for measuring your goals. Figure out how you are progressing and fine-tune your goals. Once that is done, plot out the steps you will take to reach those goals, preferably into monthly, weekly, and daily actions. Then get back to reaching for your goals and visualizing your success.

Harvard University did a study of its graduates in the 1950s. Only 3% of the grads surveyed had set goals for themselves. A follow-up in the 1980s showed that the 3% that set goals for themselves were worth more financially than the remaining 97% combined. The power of goal setting cannot be underestimated.

A study by DayTimer.com reinforces the importance of goal setting. The study found that workers with the highest incomes and the most success at work have written goals. These people tend to write a daily task list with clear priorities. Alternately, the study found that among the workers who do not write down their goals, only 9% accomplish what they plan to do any given day.

There is no rule that says you have to wait for January to take stock of your progress. Any day of the year is the perfect time to review your writing goals.