It doesn't need to be New Year’s Eve to set your yearly goals. There is never a better time than the present and no better time for you than now.  As creatives we are do-ers, dreamers, thinkers and ponderers; your creative goal setting process is unique to you. Some people prefer a methodical, practical approach and others like a visual hands on approach to goal setting. Whichever side you lie on or whatever level of some-where-in-between you are this step by step guide is designed to get you ticking off those goals pronto! 

Start with a list of thoughts

Write it down. This is the formative stage so it doesn't need to be neat. Jot down dot points, draw pictures, describe colours and feelings. Use your creative process to express where you are and where you want to be. Be messy, be vibrant, be you. 

Refine each goal and write it down in a positive statement 

So you've written down your creative conscience. Try filtering what you've written into positive statements. For example “try harder at uni” sounds better than “don’t be slack at uni”. Or "Visualise your success every day" sounds better than "Stop being negative about your career". You will notice a great deal of difference from the way you speak to yourself. 

Eliminate ambiguity and create tangibility 

Broad goals such as "To have a successful blog" are hard to follow because you theoretically can't measure success. However you could re-frame that goal to various measurable ones:
"Have my blog provide an income to match my full time job" 
"Have 40 000 readers view my blog"
"Write 500 posts on my blog by the end of the year"
The beauty of tangible goals is that you will know when you've achieved that goal. You're far more likely to try harder when you have a measurable way to define what you are working towards. It also helps with the next point in breaking down that goal into smaller ones. 

Create steps

By now you should have a list of goals. It can be anywhere from 2 goals or 10. It's up to you how many you'd like to pursue at once. Creating smaller steps towards your BIG goals are a great idea to make sure you are living your life each day with your goals defining your purpose. Let's take the goal "to have 40 000 readers view my blog" and break it down to: 

• 5 year goal: 40 000 + views on my blog
• 2 year goal: Reach 10 000 readers
• 1 year goal: write 100 articles
• 6 month goal: write 1-2 blog posts a week
• 1-month goal: Research 5 other blogs I like and see what they’re doing ‘right’
• Weekly goal: Spend two hours a week writing. 

See how much less daunting the weekly task is than the 5 year goal? You also have something you can start working on today.

If your goal is to land your dream role, job or placement use it only as a guide. Goals are about enriching your life and focusing on productivity. Be practical and realistic, you may not nail your dream job in NY by the end of the year but small, conscious steps can get you closer to the end result. 

Have your goals visible

Now that your goals are clearly written, positively structured and have smaller do-able parts make sure you visualise them. 

• Write them on your phone or computer wallpaper
• Have a list in the front of your diary
• Put an old school collage of your goals and dreams on a vision board behind your desk, on your toilet door or bedroom wall
• Make a Pinterest board called ‘Goals’ or ‘Career’ and look at it often.

Visualise

If you've got an opportunity present itself that you have worked towards, take time out for gratitude and visualisation. If something doesn't go to plan I found this quote very helpful:

you will be okay, more opportunities will come your way in the future. 

Look at how far you've come

In a previous post I've mentioned that my parents are very good at not only creating vision boards, but also practice making achievement boards. When you achieve a goal or a small step, put it on there. Recognise your hard work and reward yourself. It's a good feeling to look back down the mountain you've climbed and feel good about yourself, rather than always focusing on the alps ahead. 

Life changes

Be aware that life changes. Most of the time goals will change as you develop your skills and work on them. It’s okay to alter and reassess your goals and I would recommend doing so routinely. 

Good luck!

What are your steps to goal setting? Do you have any further advice?

Maya xo