Goals, I’m sure we all have them.
We’ve all seen our favourite YouTubers or writers saying about don’t focus on the metrics, but we’re all guilty of doing it. But you may ask why it is that they say that? Sometimes, if we focus on the outcome too much (ie viewers/readers) it makes it much more difficult to determine how we’re going to get there.
Instead of focussing on the outcome, you should be thinking about setting yourself process goals.
Process goals are huge in sport, and make your end goals much more achievable in the long run. For instance, a tennis player’s end goal will be to win more matches. Simple. But the process goals will outline how that is going to happen. For instance, by working on their serve, means they are more likely to win their own service games, which will in turn make an overall win more likely.
They may also highlight a number of other opportunities for improvements (eg. a specific shot or sequence fo shots), and set goals around them to increase their chances of winning more points. While a game of tennis (like most other sports) may seem complicated with shots, rallies, scoring systems etc. They are essentially basic games. Points win prizes.
Process goals should focus on the process (duh!), not the outcome. So we’re not thinking about reaching 1,000 subscribers, or our fist £100 income. Instead, focus on putting out good content, sharing it and engaging with overs to share your work. If you do this, your outcomes will also be reached.
But, how can we use process goals in our online creations?
Long Term Goals
This may seem contradictory, but hear me out.
If you haven’t got an idea of where you want to go, then how are you going to set about a process to ensure you get there? You need to define and record what you want to achieve. Don’t set any time limits yet, that will flow from your processes.
But it has to be something that you’re willing to work for, something that you genuinely want to achieve.
What do you need to achieve to get there?
They key here is to try and think of as many systems/processes etc as you can, but understanding you will miss some. That’s the beauty of the journey, you can’t completely plan what is going to happen along the way. Try and put them in some for of logical route, but again, this will have to be flexible.
For instance, if you were looking at posting articles or a blog online, you’d need to think of a basic process like to get started:
Once we have start posting online, we can then review and refine/improve which would come under a new set of goals.
Set your process goals
Now you know what you’re working towards, and how you’re going to get there, you can start setting yourself some process goals to achieve along the way. You’re goals should always be SMART:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Realistic
- Time-bound
The trick here is making sure you have a goal that isn’t too challenging, but also not too easy otherwise you will simply disengage. This applies for all of these categories, so so make sure you really think about what will challenge you to up your game.
Again, record these somewhere; maybe your journal or on your phone somewhere. The key is to keep looking at them so they become second nature.
Create a plan
No you have some goals, you need to figure out how you’re going to tackle them.
Sometimes, it will be obvious, other times it won’t. My main piece of advice here is no to be too rigid. Sometimes an opportunity to look at a different goal will pop up, and that shouldn’t be ignored. Conversely, don’t jump around from goal to goal unnecessarily.
This is where you can start to think about some timelines. But set yourself some constraints, don’t let things drag on too much. Remember Parkinson’s Law from our previous post:
Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completing.
Parkinson’s Law
By setting yourself tight time limits, you end up reaching your goal quicker.
Start
Planning to start is not the same as starting.
Now you’ve set goals, which are really honourable and necessary, but they are nowhere near as helpful as actually sitting down and getting on with your work, whatever it may be. So get going on it now, and chase your goals. Relentlessly.
Review
I’ve talked about my process of creativity, and we need a similar process for our goals, otherwise we are blindly following a path that may not be valid any longer.
Have your long term goals changed? Did you met a goal quicker/slower than you imagined? Have something unexpected come up? This journey is ever changing, so you need to constantly review and update your goals accordingly.
This will keep you on track and motivated to reach your ultimate goal.
