This is part two of a three part series. To see Part 1: Write It Down, go here.
We talked last time about how setting goals for yourself and writing them down can increase your productivity and the likelihood that you will accomplish your goals, whether they are personal, financial, career, etc.
Once you set down your overall goals, it is important to break them down into smaller steps. For instance, my goals for my e-book look like this:
June 1st: Launch the e-book
Steps to accomplish this:
February 15th: Write an outline
February 28th: Finish the first draft
March 1st: Send the rough draft to the first group of reviewers
March 15th: Get the drafts back and revise
March 21st: Hire someone to design the cover & the button
March 29th – 31st: Work on formatting
April 5th: Send out review copies to the second group of reviewers
April 16th: Write a post about the upcoming e-book
April 20th: Gather all critiqued review copies and work on revisions
May 5th: Send out the final copy for reviews and giveaways
May 8th: Write a sales page for the e-book
May 10th: Post about the e-book and explain how people can become affiliates
May 18th: Have a soft launch of the book
June 1st: Have the official launch of the e-book
I can guarantee without this type of guide that reminds me what I need to do at what time, the e-book will never be completed by June 1st. It is just too easy to put tasks off without a structured time frame to complete them.
By writing down the steps to accomplishing my goal of producing an e-book, I have committed myself to them. That means if it is May 8th and I still need to finish the sales page, I know I have to hunker down and focus solely on that so I can get it done by my deadline.
However, I am also depending on other people for reviews and critiquing, so I have tried to give myself enough reasonable cushion in the timeline for the unexpected. There is no point in writing it down if the goal is not realistically attainable.
Writing down the goal is only one step of the process; directing yourself as to how you will complete the process is just as important.
Have you accomplished a large goal by writing it down step-by-step for yourself? Would you have accomplished it at all or as quickly if you hadn’t written it down?
A very long time ago (31 yrs old), I established a goal and a plan to be financially independent before I turned 40. I broke down what I needed to do into daily tasks and monitored my progress weekly. My plan was very detailed, which kept me accountable. I was able to leave my regular job at age 38 and 9 months.
krantcents–Congratulations! That is amazing progress. I am sure your detailed steps and discipline had a great deal to do with your progress!
That’s a great idea. I have my goals written down, but I don’t have all the smaller steps to achieve it.
I’m terrible at that level of detail though so I don’t know if the small steps will help or hinder me. I’ll have to think about it next time.
Good for you for being so detailed with your plan. I must admit I have goals but I haven’t been the best about writing down the plan to achieve them. Something I need to work on.
It doesn’t come naturally to me either, but I find it a great way to avoid procrastination!
Love the plan! I would love to help with the design or proofreading 🙂 If you need it.
Thanks for the offer. I may be taking you up on that later! 🙂