Time Management Tuesday: 2018 Goals and Objectives

Getting work done is much easier if you know what the work is you're going to do and how you're going to do it. Well, maybe it's not actually easier. But there's a better chance the job will get done if you know what the thing is in the first place and how you're going to do it.

I am talking about goals and objectives. A goal is what we want to do and objectives are how we're going to reach the goal.

So what am I going to do this year? Hmm.

Goal 1. Make Submissions Of  Completed Work Throughout The Year

Objectives:

• Submissions to editors and agents from November NESCBWI program
• Research agents at Publishers Marketplace
• Research agents for adult books for Becoming Greg and Emma.
  
• Spend time at Essay Facebook group while on retreat in January
   

Goal 2. Begin YA Thriller

Objectives:

• Finish character sketches
• Generate material for plot, setting, theme using Scott Turow Method, meaning working in very short sprints 
• Read YA thrillers
• Bring material to writers' group each month

 

Goal 3. Generate New Work

Objectives:

•  Finish a first draft of Good Women.
• Do some work--any work--on this in January through March
• In April prep for a May Days Good Women sprint (NoNoWriMo model)
•  Improve blueprints of new chapters

• Food essays
• External support for willpower essay
• Essays developed from workshop proposals
• Article on the recycling crafts in Saving the Planet & Stuff
• Research markets all year
• Make essay and short story reading a priority
• For instance, on Retreat Week next week.

 

Goal 4. Community Building/General Marketing/Branding

Objectives

• Continue with writers' group
• Continue with Original Content 
• Start using a weekly social media calendar again.
• Check out NESCBWI spring conference, with possibility of attending
• Check out NESCBWI-PAL offerings this year, with possibility of attending
• Attend other authors' appearances
• Continue with promoting Original Content at Google+, Facebook communities, Goodreads' blog, and Twitter
• Provide social media support for writers/bloggers generating diversity material
• Improve my use of Pinterest. It's not that great for marketing, but it's fun. 

 

Less May Be More

Last year I had 7 goals. Ambitious, but when family issues came up, there was way too much professional stuff to even try to keep up with. I have reason to expect some family need early in the year. I'm gambling that fewer goals will be easier to stick with while bouncing among a couple of different family members.

Seriously, I'm planning for trouble. Speaking of which:

Goal 5. Expect the end of the year to be a disaster. Get as much done professionally and personally before mid-November. Putting it in writing so I won't forget.