Goal!

Santa left me a note that said he'd be sunning his buns on a tropical island and I better not bother him for at least eleven months. I hope he was as good to you as he was to me before he cut out for that warm sunny beach.

But I guess that means I have to get to work. For real. Sweating off the cookies :)

I'm also working on writing goals for 2011. Last month on Patricia Stoltey's blog, I was a lucky winner of the 2011 Writing Planner created by Kerrie L. Flanagan.

I have a tendency to overload, and I hope I'm not doing so here as I fill in the blanks. I know I'll need to stretch and work hard to reach all the goals I listed, but I'd rather stretch than have it be too easy.

On the very first page, I have to fill in four writing goals for the year. Not only the goal, but also how I will reward myself for successfully completing it. I don't think eating a full bag of chips counts as a reward, so I need to think seriously about what's appropriate. Times four.

Next we go month by month, breaking down the goals and listing what we plan to do to achieve them. Then week by week and day by day, with plenty of space to right daily items and other boxes for queries, follow-ups, and other projects. Plus notes.And an all important little box that says I will write for ___ minutes a day ___ days a week.

This is for real. Once I write it down, it means I have to do it.

I think I'll be doing a lot of sitting on dog leashes. Their reward will be a good romp in the yard. While I munch chips? Together we can do this.

Yeah!

Comments

I love goals and lists. Good luck or better yet, get busy!

T
Carol Kilgore said…
Alex - I'll take a deep breath and plunge right in.

Teresa - Yes, ma'am :)
Mason Canyon said…
You can definitely reach any goal you set. I have faith in you. Goals do help to keep us focused.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress
Terry Odell said…
As long as you set measurable goals, you should be in great shape, and it looks like you've got that part down.

Terry
Terry's Place
Romance with a Twist--of Mystery
Jan Morrison said…
Oh my dear! I've got to get to that too and I love the planning stage. I'm going to go back to my September goals and check out how I did there and then!
Sounds like you have a great head start on New Year writing resolutions. By the way, I love rewarding myself with chips, too!
VR Barkowski said…
You can do it! And what a grand way to launch the New [writing] Year.
Talei said…
Go Carol! I shall be cheering you on with your writing goals for 2011 - fantastic! And thanks for the reminder. ;) x
Golden Eagle said…
You can meet your goals!
Carol Kilgore said…
Thanks loads, everyone, for the support. You have a lot of faith in me and my ability.

Jan, it's certainly easier to plan than to follow through. But I'm giving it a go.

Jane, what is it about chips - LOL.
Anonymous said…
You've inspired me to make my 2011 goals. Why haven't I made any yet? Hmmmm.


Have a wonderful New Year.
Writer said…
Hi Carol,
It's always good to set feasible goals. I had some goals for 2010 and I accomplished most of them. I think I'll give myself a break for 2011 and go with the flow ;)
Your plan, however, sounds pretty doable. Happy New Year!
Carol Kilgore said…
Medeia - All I can say is it's a good thing today isn't the first day of 2011 or I would've failed miserably through no fault of my own. Or the dogs. But I need to learn to allow for days like today, too.

Claudia - Good for you. Happy New Year!
Vicki Rocho said…
You can do it!!

I need to do some serious thinking about my goals. hmmmm.
notesfromnadir said…
Lucky Santa on a tropical island!

It's great to have a goal that you write down. Seems logical enough to work & I wish you the best in achieving your writing goal[s]!
Anonymous said…
It sounds like you're determined! That's the main thing. I can't write specific goals, only general ones! I salute you for yours!!!
Sounds like you've given it some thought and have a solid plan....I'm still thinking about mine.....

Not that I think you'll need it, but good luck!
Carol Kilgore said…
Thanks for all your good wishes and faith. I appreciate it all.
Conda Douglas said…
I have the same problem, Carol. I really like your idea.
Carol Kilgore said…
Conda - Good luck. Teach Puck to down/stay. Sitting on his leash while you work is a good way to know the instant he tries to make a break for it :) And correct him.
Helen Ginger said…
May I suggest that a reward might be meeting a friend for lunch or a play? I tend to get so wrapped up in work and writing that I let friends fall by the wayside. Luckily, I have two groups of friends who keep me grounded.
Talli Roland said…
You can definitely do it! You're right - you just need to plunge right on in!
Kerrie said…
I am so glad you are getting full use out of your new planner. I think rewarding yourself with a bag of chips (a big bag of course) is perfect (but I am a little biased because I love chips too).

Happy Planning!
~Kerrie
Carol Kilgore said…
Helen - Great ideas - thanks :)

Talli - Gulp!

Kerrie - You did a fantastic job of putting the planner together. Maybe I'll use chips for one reward :)
Hi Carol -- I'm glad you're using your planner. I'm filling out the first pages of mine this week as well.

I can't let myself use food as a reward because I'm trying to lose weight...so I'm thinking a bonus massage or facial would work for a big reward, an extra hour off to read for fun for smaller goals accomplished. That ought to work.
Anonymous said…
You can do it, Carol! Glad you had a wonderful holiday and I'm sure if you speak nicely with treats in hand you can easily gain the momentary cooperation of your furry friends. :)
Maryannwrites said…
A writer's group I used to belong to had a special thing we did at every Holiday party. We each wrote down four writing related goals and four personal goals we hoped to accomplish in the coming year. All the papers were put into envelopes and then into one large envelope, which was brought to the party the following year. We would all open our envelopes and report o how well we met our goals. Writing them down does help make them real,
Carol Kilgore said…
Patricia - More good ideas. I appreciate them all.

Kimberly - They're good dogs most of the time. But there are days when they won't stay willingly without bribery.

Maryann - What a great idea. Since this planner is a spiral notebook, I can look back next December and see how I did.
Linda Kage said…
I think there's something wrong with me because the very word GOALS just stresses me out. And a whole year's worth of goals scares the bejesus out of me. I'm all about the baby-steps way. Today, I'm going to accomplish so-and-so. It just seems less stressful for me to go that route.

Good luck with reaching all your goals in 2011.
Carol Kilgore said…
Linda - I love how we're all different. I do both. Maybe because I'm a natural list maker. Or maybe that has nothing to do with it. But while those long-term goals are always floating around in my head, I've never written them down before. So this is a first for me.
Arlee Bird said…
I've been writing mine down in blog comments. Does that count? Maybe I should make it more official and more organized. Good start for you and good luck with it.

Lee
Carol Kilgore said…
Of course it counts! I've never had a planner before. I've never written down my goals either. I think putting them in writing makes a difference, no matter where you do it.

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