Reassessing Goals at Mid-Year

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigfile000786402730

I dislike resolutions, but I do like setting goals.  I know that June isn’t the popular month for setting goals that January is, but it’s a great time to do a mid-year checkup on our goals.

If we’re not where we want to be, my advice is to scrap the January goals completely and start fresh. Feeling forced to play catch-up is really unpleasant.

The most important thing, I think, for writing goals is to make them no-brainers.  Something so easy that we can pile up a bunch of successes in our goal-meeting. I’ll reiterate my advice for goal setting that I posted in January.

Three tips for making mid-year goals reachable:

Set goals for the rest of the year—and make them very easy to meet.  See how modest you can make those goals and still reach your end-goal.

Break those goals down into small parts—small enough to be items on a to-do list or calendar.  Instead of “finish my book,” I’ve found it’s more effective to break it down into smaller deadlines:  “finish chapter ten by July 1,” (maybe accompanied with a note on the calendar) or list 10 ways to approach _____scene (a difficult scene we might be facing).  Or even “write 15 minutes each day for 5 of the next 7 days.”

Track and post accomplishments.  To me, this is key for keeping motivated.  I keep ticked off items on my to-do list and print out online calendars that show past days’ completed items. Or we can post our progress on our blogs or websites.

To help with setting new goals, I’m linking to a free writing goals worksheet created by Gabriela Pereira at DIY MFA.

Have you ever done a mid-year goal check-in? What tips have you got for making goals manageable and sticking with it?

Image: MorgueFile: Dhester

Elizabeth Spann Craig

View posts by Elizabeth Spann Craig
Elizabeth writes the Memphis Barbeque series (as Riley Adams) and the Southern Quilting mysteries for Penguin and writes the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink and independently. She also has a blog, which was named by Writer’s Digest as one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers. There she posts on the writing craft, finding inspiration in everyday life, and fitting writing into a busy schedule.

23 Comments

  1. Julie MusilJune 16, 2014

    I exchange monthly goals with friends to keep ourselves accountable. I never thought of a mid-year check up. Great idea!

    1. Elizabeth Spann CraigJune 16, 2014

      Julie–I like the idea of sharing goals with friends every month! Nothing like a little accountability.

  2. CamilleJune 16, 2014

    I agree that June is a great time for a “goal tune-up.” (Actually, I think that quarterly or even monthly can be useful.)

    I’m still doing my observation and assessment year. No particular goals other than shifting habits. I may, however, rejoin the “A Round of Words in 80 Days” novel dare again in July.

    1. Elizabeth Spann CraigJune 16, 2014

      Camille–Shifting habits is huge! So is self-assessment. But that can be so useful, moving forward.

  3. Prashant C. TrikannadJune 16, 2014

    Elizabeth, all I want to do is write something everyday and hope that one day, soon, it’ll add up to something.

  4. Alex J. CavanaughJune 16, 2014

    Had to reset mine, as finishing the next manuscript did go as quickly as planned. But that’s all right.
    Father Dragon Al started a special group that motivates one another towards our goals through a private website and it’s really helping.

    1. Elizabeth Spann CraigJune 16, 2014

      Alex–So publicly shared goals on his website? That can be really motivating, I bet. And it’s great that you had to reset your goals because you got ahead!

  5. Margot KinbergJune 16, 2014

    Elizabeth – I think that reflecting on where we are and where we want to be is very helpful. Goal reviewing helps the writer break down tasks into smaller parts. It also helps the writer keep in touch with what s/he really wants. If the writer wants to go in a new direction, mid-year goal reviews can help clarify that. Then the writer can start in that new direction without having spent too much effort and time.

    1. Elizabeth Spann CraigJune 16, 2014

      Margot–Good point about giving the writer a chance to move in a new direction in a thoughtful way.

  6. J wellingJune 16, 2014

    It is so hard to leave when you can’t find the door.- Joe Walsh.

    It’s hard to reassess when you’re behind on goal four. – me.

    Time to face the music and dance. Mid year and a reassessment for the reality of the situation is in order. Some projects take the time they take. Effort is what we control. Outcomes? Less so.

    I might have to table number four for next year. Number three is proving to be a bear.

    1. Elizabeth Spann CraigJune 16, 2014

      Jack–Love Joe Walsh. :)

      I’m like you–hate to table things…but it’s better than the guilt of not hitting the goals, for me.

  7. L. Diane WolfeJune 16, 2014

    That’s the proper way to set goals. We need the small ones, the daily and weekly goals, to keep us moving forward to the bigger goals. It’s all about one step at a time.

    1. Elizabeth Spann CraigJune 16, 2014

      Diane–I love to just see progress.

  8. Mason CanyonJune 16, 2014

    I definitely agree with setting smaller goals, no matter what task you have. If we accomplish a small task it gives encouragement that tomorrow (or the next) we can do it again and maybe do more the next time. If you only have one long-term goal, it’s easy to get bogged down and not be as productive as you could be. Great tips here, Elizabeth.

    Thoughts in Progress

    1. Elizabeth Spann CraigJune 16, 2014

      Mason–It sure does help to keep from feeling overwhelmed. Thanks for coming by.

  9. K.B. OwenJune 16, 2014

    Elizabeth, this makes a lot of sense, and I really like the idea of easy goals. Sometimes I think we (well, maybe it’s just me, LOL) set goals that are hard because we feel like wussies for setting easy goals.

    I also agree with the need to set smaller goals/steps to follow along the way to the big goal. Otherwise, when you finally meet your goal but WAY more time has passed than you’d anticipated, you’re left wondering why the heck it took 6 months to write the FIRST DRAFT? Yikes. I definitely need to get better at doing this.

    Not that it’s happened to me or anything. ;)

    Thanks for your post, Elizabeth! It’s been a helpful reminder.

    ~Kathy

    1. Elizabeth Spann CraigJune 16, 2014

      K.B.–I *love* breaking things down into bits. Even just regular household stuff..the more things I can check off my list, the better. Good luck with it!

  10. Teresa C.June 16, 2014

    YES, I need help with reassessing. I have too many writing projects started and need to focus. So I printed the chart. Well see if it helps.

    1. Elizabeth Spann CraigJune 16, 2014

      Teresa–Hope it helps! Thanks for coming by.

  11. Jan MorrisonJune 16, 2014

    I love this! I use my blog to publicly announce my goals – that keeps me honest. It really doesn’t matter if no one reads it – if I put it out there I will do it or make a darn good attempt. I like the idea of smaller less grand goals. I wrote about this in three posts I’ve done about Kaizen. here – http://www.labanan.blogspot.ca/search/label/kaizen Keeping it real small keeps it real real! Thanks for another great post Elizabeth. I find lots of times to be good for reckoning – birthdays, change of seasons, that old September feeling that comes upon even the old among us…all good. It is helpful to keep checking, watching how slippery our mind is.

    1. Elizabeth Spann CraigJune 16, 2014

      Jan–I think that’s a great way to stay motivated–posting goals on our blogs gives us some accountability, too. I loved that post on Kaizen that you ran. Birthdays would be great times for these reassessments, too….great idea.

  12. Jay CardamJune 19, 2014

    As a High School teacher with seven preps summer is my big push. I tend to work in bits and pieces the rest of the year to get to that push period. My goal this summer is to finish my current historical mystery…To that end I try to block out the early morning hours and deal with the summer run of doctor’s appts, honey-dos, and pre-planning for the next school year in the afternoons. Not always an easy thing to do. I keep a little notecard taped to my desk where I log the word count I start with at the beginning of the day, it helps me keep track of how far I’ve come and where I’m headed. My goals are small daily ones as I tend to do better with those that weekly or monthly goals.

    Thanks for the Blog.

    1. Elizabeth Spann CraigJune 19, 2014

      Jay–I love that you track how far you’ve come…that can be key to keeping motivated (at least for me). And you’ve got a workable plan for fitting in vital summer business like the doctor appointments, etc. in with the writing–so it doesn’t interrupt your writing or preempt it, but still gets accomplished. Good luck with your summer goal!

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