Goal setting for authors

According to research, goal setters accomplish more than those who don’t set goals. What’s more, people who write down their goals are 42 percent more likely to achieve them simply by writing them down.

This is why goal setting for authors is so important.

Give yourself an advantage:

1. Put thought into what you want to accomplish in 2017.
2. Write that down.
3. Create a plan that will help you get there.

Don’t be a scaredy cat

You don’t want to be like some of the members of a small women business owners group I used to belong to. We took turns selecting the topic for our monthly lunch meeting. After I chose “goal setting” for December, I arrived at the restaurant excited about learning more about how the others approached this important process.

Two said they never set goals.

Ever.

Their reason?

It scared them.

They felt they would be failures if they set goals that they didn’t reach.

If that same fear is stopping you, don’t reach for the stars the first time you write down goals. Set your dream goal aside for another time. In its place, write down a few goals you’re more likely to achieve.

For example, a dream goal for your first book might be to get a cover blurb (endorsement or testimonial) from the most famous author in your genre.  A more realistic goal might be to get a cover blurb from an author in your genre who is starting to enjoy moderate success.

As you start to reach your goals and get more confidence in the process, you can start adding in a few “stretch” or “reach” goals.

Goal setting tools, tactics

As it turned out, I could never convince those two group members to set goals. I hope I can convince you, though, because I really want you to succeed.

I’m such a believer in goal-setting that I write about this topic almost every year. Rather than re-hash what I’ve said before, I’m sharing links to a few goal-setting articles I’ve already written. My advice in them remains the same: Get a goal buddy, write your goals down, create a plan that will help you reach your goals, take action:

• This article describes several goal-setting tools for authors, from planners to apps.
• I explain the process I follow with my goal buddy in this post.
• Get a handle on the steps to take with this article.

My goal buddy and I are meeting this week to review what we accomplished in 2016 and where we want to go in 2017. What are you doing now to establish goals for 2017? The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll get the clarity you need.

Don’t leave your success to chance. Plan for it. Write down your goals. Take action!

What’s your favorite goal-setting approach, tool, or resource? Please share it in a comment.