Setting Attainable Goals

I will be the first to tell you, I haven't always been great at setting goals and sticking to them. It had never been something that motivated me. I would always be too worried that I wouldn't meet these goals to even try. I've come to realize this may be due to the fact that I was not setting goals I could, realistically, meet. This happened in all aspects of my life. I've tried losing 15 pounds in a month and stop after only losing four in two weeks. I set a goal to save $10,000 in one year, hoping to buy a house, which failed miserably. I wanted to write the first draft of my novel in a month without any preparation. I could go on, but I think you get the point.

When we set these types of goals, all we end up doing is disappointing ourselves.

Setting goals, however, is absolutely crucial, especially when it comes to writing. The thing is, you have to set goals that are attainable, yet not too easy to achieve. Find that happy medium, otherwise you won't have the motivation and drive to complete these goals.

Setting Realistic Goals

Getting your goals ironed out for yourself is really just a matter of trial and error. What is too little and what is too much? For instance, when I first set a goal for myself, I thought 5,000 words per month would be a great starting point. I know what you're thinking, that's super low for a writer. But after a rather long hiatus from writing, I thought that would be fitting. I had finally had a designated space to write, which is very important as, I explained in Creating a Productive Writing Environment: 5 Factors to Consider. Once I had my office set up, the words just started flowing from my mind. I quickly realized that I could easily meet this goal with a single short story, and I did. And of course I worked on my novel as well. As I am sure you can imagine, I far surpassed the goal.

So, obviously, I had to adjust my expectations in order to challenge myself. I know that one day I want to get to the point where I can easily write 1000 words a day with consistency, but I also know that I am nowhere near that yet. If I jump to that goal right away, knowing the person that I am, I will get discouraged and frustrated. That's not what this is about. So, I bumped my goal up to 15,000. Compared to last month's writing, this should be within reach, but maybe a little more of a challenge for me. Not outside of my comfort zone, but enough to keep me productive throughout the month.

What I would also suggest; create more than one goal. When it comes to writing, I see quite a few people sticking with word count goals, which is the most obvious and often easiest one to set. You either do it or you don't. Simple. But there are so many ways to track progress, some more effective than others. You can set a goal to at least write something every day, or do what I do and set a chapter goal. I also love writing short stories that coincide with my novel (background, spinoff stories, etc.). I set a goal of two short stories and one chapter this month. If I make an effort to meet those two goals, I should already be pretty damn close to my word count goal, if not passed it.

Goals are pretty tricky, but essential, and, if done correctly, the best motivators.

I hope you found this helpful and inspirational. Now its time to think about your goals. What are they and are they attainable? Are you challenging yourself? Do you have more than one?

As always, I would love to hear from you. Feel free to comment below and follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and tumbler: @StephanieNBolla

Bye for now.