Author s. Goal Setting Tool. Your gift, from author, Lynda Rees. This belongs to: Year

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1 Author s Your gift, from author, Lynda Rees Goal Setting Tool This belongs to: Year 1

2 Goals? 2 Why goal setting instead of New Years resolutions? Most resolutions are broken within fifteen days. Goals are achievable. We will map out a plan you can put into action to achieve whatever you wish.

3 3 Our dreams can come true, if we have courage to pursue them. Walt Disney

4 4 Goals, Strategies, Tactics and Timelines The following pages provide tools and examples how to use them to establish and manage the coming year s goals. They can also be used to develop longer term goals. I m a firm believer in creating five and tenyear goals. Once you ve completed this year s planning process, print extra copies and work on five and ten year plans. In these examples we re drafting a one-year plan Attached is a chart for your use to prepare and track this year s plan.

5 Goals, Strategies, Tactics and Timelines GOALS STRATEGIES TACTICS TIMELINE Personal/ Health Spiritual/ Personal Development Relationships Career/ Business 5

6 Goals, Strategies, Tactics and Timelines 6 I ve included four main focus areas, the ones most folks choose to work on. Change them if yours don t fit. However they are broad in range to cover multiple goals within each category. Personal/Health can include diet, exercise, caring for a medical condition, etc. Spiritual/Personal Development can include education, religion, meditation, etc. You know what Relationships are. For the purposes of this example, we ll concentrate on writing, as that is your Business/Career. The next page contains an example.

7 Goals Strategies Tactics Timelines Personal/ Health Lose 10 lb. Improve health Exercise and diet Aerobics 1200 calorie diet Cut back sugar Lift weights 3 x wk. Daily Daily 2 x wk. Spiritual/ Personal Development Perfect craft Learn new skills Education Practice Learn Formatting 2-3 RWA Classes Write consistently Buy and Learn Schrivener Jan & Sep 5xwk.min.2000wd. Buy/Tutorial Jan. Practice wkly. Relationships Build author/ reader contacts and awareness Network Teach RWA class Volunteer chapter work Blog regularly Oct As opportunities arise. Weekly at min. Career/Business Contract agent or publisher Sell traditionally Finalize books Increase Indie sales Final edit 2 bks. & queries. First edit children s bk., 1 st & 2 nd. how-to bk. & query. Give to new editor Advertise/network Final edit/queries Edit 2 for queries. Edit child. bk.- partner edit. Finish/edit 3 how-to & child books. Blog, run BB/FB ads, do FB Party 10 queries/mo. 2 edits/jan., 2/Feb., 2 nd. Edit 2 Apr., 2 nd. Edit 1 & final by 2 Aug. Wkly. blog/mo. ads. 7

8 Our greatest glory is not in falling, but in rising every time we fall. Confucious 8

9 Your Turn The following page is blank for your use. It s a working document. Print at least two for now. You will need more later when you break the year into monthly goals. Give it serious thought and time to capture effectively. A Goal is something you wish to achieve. Strategies are way s to make that happen. Tactics are steps to move the strategy forward. Timeline is how often and/or when the task needs to be completed. 9

10 Creating Your Plan Draft each goal area. Then edit it until all columns are perfect and what you will do is clearly defined. It wouldn t hurt to step away from it. Sleep on it. Then revisit the draft. Once it says exactly what you want to achieve and how you will do it, take a blank form and write it out neatly. This is your working document. 10

11 GOALS STRATEGIES TACTICS TIMELINE Personal/ Health Spiritual/ Personal Development Relationships Career/ Business 11

12 Everything you ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear. George Addair 12

13 WHAT NEXT? You have developed a plan of action for the coming year. How do you achieve all these things in the timing you ve set? Simple. Print twelve forms. Look at each goal s yearly plan. Break it into twelve parts. Determine how and what you must do in the defined areas each month. 13

14 How? For example: You want to hire an editor by March. You might need to talk to fifteen editors to find one you wish to work with. That s at least five per month for the three months you ve allowed. Or if you talk to ten the first month and five the next, you might contract with one by early March. This means you must talk with two per week, since there are five weeks in January. 14

15 Another Example Say you want to finish the first draft of a book of 50,000 words in five months, so by June 1, How do you do it? First determine how quickly you write. Time your writing for a few days and check word count. Let s say you write 500 words per day. You plan to spend weekends with family. So you will write five days per week. You should achieve 2500 words per week in this case. It will take a minimum of 20 weeks to draft 50,000 words. At this rate you should achieve your goal by mid-april. This gives you part of April and the month of June to re-read and do initial edits. 15

16 Another Consideration You could do this backwards, by determining the number weeks in your timeline. With 21 weeks January-May, in this scenario you must write a minimum of 2381 words per week, or 340 words per day. Either way, you achieved your goal on time. You ve established your writing goal. 16

17 17 Success isn t final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. Winston Churchill

18 Tracking Break each yearly goal/strategy/tactics/timeline section into monthly increments until the first month s plan is established. Get a calendar with blocks large enough to write in. This can be a hard copy, desktop, online or calendar on your phone. I prefer a hard copy one with motivational photos, because I like to view a month at a glance. Use whatever suits you. Write deadlines on the dates. Block out spaces of time to work on tactics. Write birthdays, dates, obligations, appointments, leisure plans, etc. Refer to this daily so you know at a glance what you must do each day. 18

19 Your Career You ve created a tool posting tasks you must achieve to accomplish your goals. Do the work. It s your job. Don t partake in leisure until your job is done. Using this tool should make it simple for you to know daily how to manage your schedule. You must be self-motivated. You are the boss. No one is going to push you to work (unless you re facing a deadline with your editor/publisher). Be willing to execute chores your chosen career requires. 19

20 Monthly Planning Refer to January and the yearly chart to create subsequent monthly plans for the full year. When you re done, you ve defined steps to take each month. Break down what you want to achieve monthly into weekly tactics. Post them on your calendar. Recall I mentioned these are working documents? If something becomes a non-focus area, cross it off or remove it. Working toward achievements not supporting your plan is a waste of time. If you don t have a calendar with blocks, print twelve copies of the next page for this purpose. Or use a calendar of your choice. 20

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22 Oops! Sometimes life interferes with your ability to push through tactics. If some chore is left undone at the end of a month, add it to the next month s plan. Adjust timing if necessary, allowing for this work. 22

23 You ve completed the plan. Display it in your office where you can refer to it and others can see it. Be proud. Celebrate! 23

24 There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure. Having a yearly plan, taking steps, working on tactics moves you toward your goal. Action dashes fear of failure. You can do it. 24 Paulo Coelho

25 25 You can achieve your goals and make your dreams come true.

26 I hope this planner helps simplify your quest. Enjoy the process. 26

27 Stay in touch. Reach me the following ways. for a free novella, Leah s Story. Join my VIP Group for future Freebees. If you read my books, I d love a review from you. I enjoy staying connected with fans. Thank you. Sincerely, Lynda Rees lyndareesauthor.com amazon.com/author/lyndarees eepurl.com/ctts09 FREE VIP Group for gifts and news Twitter.com/LyndaReesauthor Facebook.com/lynda.rees.author/ pinterest.com/lyndareesauthor/pins/ Bookbub.com/profile/lynda-rees Goodreads.com/author/show/ Lynda_Rees 27