04 Jan Free Smart Goals Template For Authors
Get Smart Goals(S.M.A.R.T) In 2019
January 1st is about new beginnings. The societal reset of our previous year failures is a chance to start over and be more productive. But stats show that by the end of January nearly 95% of new year resolutions are broken. But today can be the day you go full on SMART with a Smart Goals Template.
Today let’s discuss my favorite method for avoiding falling into this new year resolution trap.
The Smart Goals(S.M.A.R.T) Method?
S: Specific – will allow you to target a specific area for improvement.
M: Measurable – will allow you to measure your progress with organized charts/number systems.
A: Achievable – will push you a little, but still stay within your skill/knowledge range.
R: Relevant – Will allow results that can be achieved realistically.
T: Timely – Will set a time period, resulting in a sense of urgency to complete the goal.
OK… But What Is The Smart Goal Method?
The S.M.A.R.T method ushers in a complete way for construction and accountability for your goals. Unclear resolutions become clear because your plan is laid out in verifiable objectives. First coined in the 1980’s by George T. Doran, whom described in his original publication has become the standard norm for goal trenders today, is that Big ambitious or smaller goals can be made S.M.A.R.T;
Specific
When thinking of writing goals, be specific in what you’re seeking to achieve. You could write more, but instead make a daily word count that you must hit. That is being specific. So instead of a vague list of ideas that are goals, think of something particular… think of it as a mission statement for your goal that you write down and declare!
Measurable
What determines your success as a writer? Break up your goal into daily, weekly and even monthly measurable steps. If you know you want a completed thriller novel(75,000 words) in the next 3 months, that means you need to write 25,000 words a month. This helps you mentally break down your goal into smaller “bite” size milestones, allowing you to easier achieve what you want.
Achievable
Are you willing to push yourself? This is about calculating if you have the resources and capabilities required to achieve your writing goals. If not, then why?
Planned goals provide a point of action. If the actions are unclear, achieving your goal could become deluded and even have it impossible for you as an author to achieve your goals.
Relevant
Is the goal that you want fit your plan? If your goal is to write 75,000 words in 3 months and you think you can squeeze in 1 hour a day for writing, then great! You already know the “why” you’re doing this, so validate it with something like the following: I want to write 75,000 words in 3 months to push myself to produce books faster than before. This validation is relevant and is powerful!
Time-Sensitive
No matter the goal you need a finish line. Go ahead and set a limit of when you want to be “done”. Take the goal, conceive a plan, and break it down into small chunks. In our case, it’s in at the end of 3 months. That gives me a baseline of 800 to 900 words per day.
I hope now you see how S.M.A.R.T goal setting can be simple but effective in your writing routine. In a nutshell it is: Plan, Breakdown, Execute. Use the S.M.A.R.T method or shoot create your own, but remember it has to stick… and for it to stick you have to plan… that’s the only way you’ll win this year.
