The Art of Creating Realistic Goals

One thing I abhor, is when I'm not being productive.  If that's the case, I end up going to bed feeling guilty, then I can't sleep properly (a fact that's exacerbated by the fact that I have crazy dreams). 
So a way to get rid of that yucky feeling, is to set goals for myself.  Goals that are reasonably achievable.  It's also a great way for a writer to progress through his/her work:  set a goal to write so many words/pages a day/week, and you're good.  Soon enough, you'll find yourself with a mass of paperwork that requires loads of editing (well, that's what happens to me).  Key, of course, is to keep to your goal.  You can also set yourself goals for the mid- and long-term.

Here's an example (taken from my list of mid-term goals--so over the next year or so):

• Finish planning out my sff series.
• Finish book 1 (pre-editing).
• Make at least 1 person laugh every day.

Here's another example (taken from my longer-term goal list):

• Get published.
• Live young, happy and healthy for the next 400 years.
• Meet aliens (so long as they don't use me as a lab rat).

See, isn't it fun to plan out your life?  What are your goals?



This is not the alien type I wanna meet.



 



This is!



PS:  I didn't show my daily goal breakdown because, frankly, it's not quite as exciting as the longer-term goals...  It mostly consists of work, study, reading, and writing, with some fun with friends interspersed here and there.