Thursday, August 23, 2012

The Value of a Setting Goals and Deadlines for Authors

Several of the principles of successful goal setting include having a written plan, breaking the larger goal into small, progressive goals and establishing a deadline to achieve the goal.

Like many individuals, I am capable of procrastination, particularly if the task is a tedious one I dislike. This is where goals and deadlines are of great importance to me if I am to actually finish anything.

I have specific long range goals concerning my self-publishing empire. If these goals are to be met, I have to set and achieve short and medium range goals. I write these down and keep them where I have to look at the goals on a daily basis.

These goals don't mean a thing if I don't work towards meeting them. This is where the deadline comes in. Deadlines are a pain, but they produce a sense of urgency that you must accomplish a task.

So, sit down and think about your long term publishing goals. Write them down, edit them and evaluate if the goals are realistic. Then craft a series of sequential short and medium range goals designed to move you towards the achievement of the long range goal. Write these goals down as well.

Establish realistic deadlines for all of these goals. Be flexible as you work to achieve your goals. Sometimes deadlines cannot be met for reasons other than your own procrastination. Don't beat yourself up when that happens (though you can give yourself a metaphorical paddling if procrastination is the cause for failure to meet a deadline).

Rework your timeline and establish new and realistic deadlines. Reward yourself when you do achieve a deadline.

Goals and deadlines (combined with lots of hard work) are how we make our dreams come true.

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