It isn’t a new year on a blog until you’ve read something about setting goals. This blog is no different. I thought I’d share my own goals for the coming year — and I love to read about your goals in the comments.
Setting Fewer Goals
I am in the fortunate position of being able to reduce the time I spend setting goals. Gone are the days that I list out all the things I wish were different about me. Instead, I think about a couple of things that are most important to me, and focus on those items.
This method of setting goals is also more conducive to changing my life. Because of the progress I’ve made over the last few years, in finances and with my lifestyle, I’ve been able to concentrate on bigger goals that have a lasting impact on my habits.
Not only that, but setting fewer goals also allows me to be more realistic about what I’m able to accomplish. I don’t have to try to complete five different financial tasks each month in order to meet all of my goals (and inevitably fail by March). Instead, I can break down one big goal into manageable steps, and work on it all year so that it becomes a way of life, rather than something to check off a list.
Setting Goals for the Coming Year
This year, I am only setting three goals. It’s a new, smaller number for me, and I’m excited about that. However, it’s also going to be more effort on my part because, even though I have fewer goals, they are a little more ambitious. Here is what I hope to accomplish in the coming year:
- Work/Financial Goal = Income Diversity: I’m hoping to improve in the area of income diversity. Over the last couple of years, there has been consolidation in my client base, as well as the types of content I provide. I’m becoming to reliant on certain gigs, and certain types of writing. I want to expand so that I’m not at the mercy of one or two clients. I also hope to develop other projects so that I have income beyond just providing content to others.
- Writing Goal = More Non-Financial Writing: This is a holdover from last year, since I didn’t manage this very well. I’ve got a set plan for writing more on politics and religion at the rant blog that no one reads, as well as slating time to write fiction each week.
- Life Goal = More Time for Self-Improvement: I noticed this year that I spend an increasing amount of time on activities that just take up time, and don’t offer me real fulfillment or improvement. It’s one thing to relax and watch a movie with my husband in the evening and quite another for two hours to disappear into the black hole of article comments. I’m going to make it a point to spend some time each day practicing music, reading something usefully non-fiction, volunteering, and/or learning something new.
I know I have the time to accomplish these goals because last year’s home business goal was to work less. And that is something I achieved. I managed to trim about two and a half hours from my workday on average over the course of the last year. That’s time I can use for additional projects, self-improvement, and growing my business.
Looking at my time use the last month opened my eyes to some of the ways I could find better fulfillment in my life, and increased success. Setting goals that will help me achieve more in my life has already put me in a better and more hopeful mood for the new year.
What are your goals for the coming year?