It’s what management by objective is all about and it’s also one of Kevin J. Anderson’s tips for prolific writers. Goalsetting is obviously important.
To be useful goals have to be:
- Specific
- Objectively Measurable
- Have a definite time frame
- Be at least a little challenging
“I want to be a published writer” is a dream. Goals (and sometimes a bit of luck) are what will get you to that dream.
I like to set different levels of goals.
Generally, I will set a longer-term goal: I want to be ready to start sending out queries on MAGE STORM in January. And then I will set smaller goals: What do I have to do today, or this week, or this month to make that happen. It’s easier to track progress on the intermediate goals. Plus it provides a sense of accomplishment that’s very motivating for me.
Sometimes, I’ll also set two levels of goals–and easy goal I’m fairly sure I can make (to keep the momentum going and provide that motivation) and a more challenging goal to shoot for and try to raise my productivity. Since I’m a fairly competitive person (and most competititive with myself), I often make the harder goal.
Gotta go. My goal for today is to finish the 3rd draft revisions of Chapter 11 of MAGE STORM.
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