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New Years resolutions are so last year. In fact, this year I’m making it my New Years resolution to set goals instead of resolutions. I’m talking about real, attainable, measurable, high-aiming goals broken down into real and actionable tasks.
This may sound out of the ordinary for some of you. The reality is, you’ll need to put a little extra work (10-15 minutes per goal, tops) up front. By spending time with your result goal, it gives you time to break down goals into bite sized progress milestones, and break down that even further into daily actions & tasks. By doing this fragmented goal setting, you’re allowing yourself to relieve the pressure and overwhelm that comes from a mammoth-sized goal, while still encouraging you to dream big. By taking on smaller bits and pieces at a time, it brings you toward a larger goal. The best part about this approach to goal-setting is, when you’re a few months down the road the goal won’t be a twinkle in your eye, but you’ll already be halfway there.
Let’s set a few together, and break down how they can actually turn out.
Today, we’re going to break it down into fragmented goal setting. There are three Parts to fragmented Goal setting.
Result goal, Progress milestones, and Daily actions & tasks.
Part 1: Result Goal
Ex. Your result goal is “Sell 50k in paintings this year"
This is the pie in the sky goal that you are after. In other words, the highest level target that you want to hit. Result goals should always be SMART goals. (In case you need a refresher: S - Specific, M- Measurable, A - Attainable, R - Realistic, T- Timely)
You can (and should) have multiple result goals. However, I would encourage you to only focus on 1-3 at a time. Keep that long list of goals though, you'll breeze through it before you know it!
Part 2: Progress Milestones (3 Per Result Goal)
Ex. A progress milestone would be “Get accepted to a group show."
Set three smaller and trackable objectives that directly linked to your result goal. These are the necessary stepping stones you need to take along the path to reach your result goal.
Part 3: Daily Actions & Tasks
Ex. A great daily action could be "Spend 2 hours each day applying to galleries."
What actions are you taking on a daily basis to achieve your progress milestone? The daily actions and tasks should be short and sweet. They should not be overwhelming, and you should be able to take immediate action on them.
A full example, of one result goal, would look like this:
Result Goal #1: Sell 50k in paintings this year!
Progress Milestone #1: Get accepted to a group show
Progress Milestone #2: Post high-resolution images of my work to my website
Progress Milestone #3: Have 10,000 social media followers
Daily Actions & Tasks Based on Progress Milestone #1: Spend 2 hours each day applying to galleries
Daily Actions & Tasks Based on Progress Milestone #1: Send my CV to 3 people for review
Daily Actions & Tasks Based on Progress Milestone #1: Monthly, research and attend 3 open studio events to grow my network
Daily Actions & Tasks Based on Progress Milestone #2: Take 30 minutes daily to work on my photography course
Daily Actions & Tasks Based on Progress Milestone #2: Clean studio and evaluate strongest work
Daily Actions & Tasks Based on Progress Milestone #2: Photograph and edit 2 pieces every week
Daily Actions & Tasks Based on Progress Milestone #3: Post to social media daily
Daily Actions & Tasks Based on Progress Milestone #3: Comment on at least 5 other artists work, 3x a week
Daily Actions & Tasks Based on Progress Milestone #3: Create and post on Facebook
That's it in a nutshell! If you are the type of person that needs to write it down, and needs some extra guidance, I would highly recommend the Best Self Journal. This journal helps you set and attain goals on a quarterly basis. It may help you to get into the habit of journaling.
If the journal isn’t in your budget, the Best Self company provides a PDF version available for free on their website.
Remember, you are the one who is in charge of accomplishing what you set your mind out to do!
