Setting Goals

I've learned the hard way that it is easier to achieve something by setting a goal instead of jumping in with no plan. When I decided earlier this week that I was going to start writing articles for Demand Studios again, my initial goal was to get $150-$200 by July 24, which is tomorrow. What I didn't take into account was 1) There is a cutoff for when to receive payments on either Tuesday or Friday and 2) I wasn't pushing myself hard enough to complete the 10-15 articles required to reach that goal.

So now I have to wonder if it's easier to set daily, weekly, or monthly goals. Do I set general goals (i.e. I want to make $500 by the time I go back to school) or specific goals (i.e. I want to make enough money to be able to pay my phone bill for the next two months)? Obviously if I set a daily goal of at least $100, my weekly goal would be $500-$700 (if I write on the weekends), which would make my monthly goal $2,000-$2,800. That's practically a full-time job, and if I could pull that off, I wouldn't worry so much about finding a real job! But I think setting a weekly goal of $500 or more is more realistic than setting a daily goal of $100, for the simple fact that I go out during the day and come back late at night, and probably won't want to bang out 6 articles after waking up or before I go to sleep.

I just received $60 for four articles, the first two which were written on Tuesday, and the second which were written on Wednesday. So I was $90 short of my goal, unless I want to get technical and say, "Well, I didn't mean it had to be in my account by the 24th, I just want the articles approved for payment by then." This would allow me to make up that $90 by tomorrow, but it would mean getting six articles approved by then! This is actually entirely doable, as I have two under review right now, and could easily knock out four more if I gave myself a late deadline.

In light of everything that I need to do (pay bills, buy textbooks, and save money to go to L.A.), I think I am better off setting weekly goals. But it gets a little tricky, since the payments are twice a week. Anything I write between Thursday and Sunday at 11:59 PST will get paid out on Tuesday. Anything I write between Monday and Wednesday at 11:59 PST will get paid out on Friday. I think the best thing for me to do is set a cumulative goal, instead of a biweekly goal, which I think will put a lot more pressure on me. That way if I don't reach my goal for Tuesday's payment, I have a few days to make up for it.

Taking into account the two articles that I have pending right now, I'd say 10-20 $15 articles is pretty reasonable. That would net me $150 on the low end, $300 on the high end by next Friday, with the potential for more if I can push myself to knock out more than 20 articles. I think it's possible. No, I know it's possible! Hopefully, I'll remember to update as the week progresses. Wish me luck!

For tips on setting your own writing goals, check out these sites:

Setting Effective Writing Goals

Setting Your Writing Goals

Here's some shameless self-promotion to one of my articles about goal setting:

Achieve Your Goals with a Wish Jar: Setting and Achieving Goals, Wishes Creatively