It’s that time of year—the time where everyone is probably slipping from the goals they set for the new year. If you’re a writer, you probably have some pretty lofty writing goals, but you may not necessarily know how to tackle them. Not knowing where to start is one of the many reasons people don’t see their goals through. If this sounds like you, we have you covered.
The following tips are what we use in our accountability program, The Write Gym, to help our writers attain their writing goals.
1. Write your goals down.
Studies have shown that if you actually write your goal down, you’re more likely to achieve it, or at least work towards it, than if you just keep it in your head. There is something magical about writing things down.
2. Break your goals up.
Break your goals up into daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. You can have the big picture, but if you don’t actually break those goals down, it will always feel like a daunting task.
For example, let’s say you want to write a novel next year. Writing an entire novel can sound quite intimidating. How can you break that down into actionable steps?
Figure out how many words you can write per day to get to the goal. Let’s say you wrote 400 words per day. You could finish your novel in 4-5 months. Four hundred words sounds much less intimidating than “write a whole novel.”
Which leads me to the next point…
3. Choose manageable goals.
If you are constantly choosing goals that are hard to reach, you’re going to scare yourself off. It’s like starting an exercise routine.
If you say you’re going to work out every day when you’ve hardly been working out, that’s going to eventually seem like an overwhelming task. If you maybe said, “I’ll start with three workouts a week and then if I feel comfortable, I can add more,” now we have something that your brain might actually want to hold to. In a way, it’s like tricking your brain.
4. Revisit your goals every week.
This means after you’ve written those weekly goals, you go back and see where you stand at the end of the week, adjust, then start the process again. It’s like muscle memory. I may forget that I have a meeting a week later, but if I have to look at my calendar every day, and I see the meeting penciled in, I’m going to remember it.
This is the same concept. You have to constantly revisit your goals to keep them fresh in your mind. Moreover, don’t avoid looking at your goals when you don’t hit your mark. Remember, there’s growth in discomfort. You should indeed feel discomfort when you look at your goal and realize you didn’t hit it. Let this discomfort propel your action for the next week. You are over 80% more likely to reach your goals when you examine them on a weekly basis.
5. Find some accountability.
This is going to be different for everyone. You might find it in another close writing buddy, a mentor, or a group of writers. The best advice is to make sure it’s someone like-minded. It’s easier if they have a similar interest because you’ll connect on the same level when it comes to struggles and motivation. Regardless of who you choose, make sure it’s someone who can be consistent about checking in on you (and you should of course return the favor).
There you have it! Five tips to help you meet your writing goals. If you’re looking for some accountability for your writing, check out our program, The Write Gym. Not only do we provide accountability, but this is a group coaching experience for writers with printables, weekly check-ins, and write-ins, along with monthly mini lessons.
We’ve also created a free printable here for you to help you schedule weekly writing goals. You can download it with no strings attached, but if you’d like a more printer-friendly version, sign up for our newsletter and keep up with us! We’re planning more freebies, workshops, and general writing goodness!
Good luck with all your writing dreams!
Racquel Henry is a Trinidadian writer, editor, and writing coach with an MFA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She is a part-time English Professor and owns Writer’s Atelier. Racquel is also the co-founder and Editor at Black Fox Literary Magazine and the Editor-in-Chief at Voyage YA. She is the author of Holiday on Park and The Writer’s Atelier Little Book of Writing Affirmations. Her fiction, poetry, and nonfiction have appeared in various literary magazines and anthologies. When she’s not working, you can find her watching Hallmark Christmas movies.
