Why are goals important for each book project you take on? The relationship between setting goals and time management is pretty straightforward when it comes to your book project. If you don't set reasonable goals focused on specific tasks, you're probably going to work on things that will be a waste of time. To avoid confusion over what needs and doesn’t need to be completed immediately, you need to consider the results you want. For any book project, the goal is a well-written and edited manuscript you’d be proud to have anyone read. Your goals should include things like a set amount of time to research and plan, set time to write and edit, the number of editing cycles, as well as a time to promote and interact with would be readers.
David Allen, author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity,” writes that simply the act of setting a goal gives us a new “lens” through which to view existence. This new focused point of view will help you to achieve your goals. You'll see new opportunities that you never noticed before simply by setting a target. Once you set that goal, you'll start finding opportunities to make it happen.
How many goals do you sent and what should a 'good' goal include? The experts are divided on the number of goals you should set. Some say that you should have as many life goals as you can imagine, while others believe you should limit your goals. Consider working somewhere in the middle. You need to set specific goals, such as, “I will write at least 2 hours a day, 6 days a week until my book is done.” But you also need to map out all the other complicated details that are a writer in today’s market, needs to engage in, such as blogging, tweeting, FaceBook time, reviewing requests, press releases and interview opportunities, as well as creating website themes, and other marketing.
To be successful you need to visualize what it will take for you to accomplish your goal. Then, create a plan that works for you. Consider how much you can realistically do in a day, week, or month. Factor in the other priorities in your life. Next, consider what you want for the book and how you’ll define and measure success. Is your goal to see it become a commercial success? If so, what does that look like for you – number of sales, amount of revenue, number of onsite stores that carry it, number of online retailers carrying it? Perhaps your goal is to be a literary success? Can you measure that with the number of quality reviews, whether it’s used as a text in schools, the number and type of awards it wins? If the book is just for you… a personal project, how will you measure that success? Feedback from family and friends, printing 50 copies for the reunion, hearing from at least one person that you impacted their life, or perhaps just being able to check it off your ‘bucket list’? Put all of this in your plan so you have something to work toward and measure against. You might also consider listing the tasks and activities that will help you reach each goal. This will give you a list of things to focus your energy on and ensure that your resources (time, energy, money) are directed in a way that supports your goals.
Setting goals and creating a plan can help you reach milestones, achieve success, and effectively manage your life and resources in the process. It’s also a great first step. After you define your goals, don’t forget to go back and create a more detailed plan that enumerates things like the book’s format, costs, and revenue goals. You can read more on this in the article “Planning: Create a book project plan”, here on the Author Learning Center.
So helpful.. thank you.
So informative...thank you.