Step 1 – Have a goal!
You’ll never achieve a goal without setting one in the first place. Someone once said that a goal is simply a dream with a deadline, and that’s how I like to think of them. So when you set a goal, give it a deadline. If you want to write a book, give yourself time enough to write it and give yourself a deadline to work towards. That way, you’re one step closer to achieving it.
Step 2 – Break down your goal
Big goals can seem insurmountable until you break them down and set some milestones. No-one wakes up one day and decides to write 100,000 words. What they will do is set milestones like write the outline, write 1000 words a day, write a chapter etc. Whatever your goal, break it down into much smaller part and tackle each one separately.
Step 3 – Plan it out
When I worked in IT Training, we were usually part of a much bigger project, and the project plan was the bible. It took all the project tasks and added them to a timeline. You can do something similar by putting your goal, tasks and deadline into a planner and work out what you need to achieve each week to achieve your goal. Then break it down into daily tasks.
Step 4 – Take action
There are some people who have dreams and that’s all they’ll have.
There are people who have the most amazing goals but that’s all they are.
And then there are people who take action. Those actions may be small, but they pack a mighty punch when they’re done daily and consistently.
It’s this daily and consistent action that will mean you achieve your goals.
Step 5 – Keeping reviewing your progress
When you have a plan with milestones, you have the ability to review your progress to see if you’re on track. If you’re not, then you can adjust your activities to meet your milestones. My 90 Day Goal Planner, for example, includes weekly goal setting and accountability pages, as well as a daily action plan.
Those are my 5 steps. Very similar to the nursing process that I was taught so many years ago, but very effective.
If you want to achieve your goals then there’s one secret weapon that you really need in your toolkit, and that’s a coach.
If you’d like help achieving your writing goals, then get in touch. Book a call, and we can have a chat and see if I can help. Not all the people that I help are clients, so even if we can’t work together, I may be able to point you in the direction of resources that could.