Lesson Five: Time-Bound Goals
Now that we've defined what completing our goal will look like, we need to decide when our goal should be completed. Let's jump right on in!
Don't have an arbitrary timeline for your goals
It is easy to push off goals that don't have a deadline attached to them. There's not sense of urgency to drive us to completing the goal. While you certainly don't want to swing to the other extreme and create deadlines that are too narrow to reach, you do want to avoid not having a clear idea of when you want to accomplish your goal. Without that direction, you run the risk of not completing it at all!
Set a specific time frame for your goals
Creating a timebound goal can be as easy as saying "I want to read 20 books by the end of the year." That goal has an end date in mind, that you can easily shoot for. If you set the goal at the beginning of the year, you have twelve months in which to read 20 books.
Other, more complex goals, might entail a little more thought to create a proper deadline/timeline. A good method to determine a deadline is to reverse engineer how long each step of the process is going to take. Bethany Atazadeh provides a great example of this when she walks through her publishing timeline template.
Other, more complex goals, might entail a little more thought to create a proper deadline/timeline. A good method to determine a deadline is to reverse engineer how long each step of the process is going to take. Bethany Atazadeh provides a great example of this when she walks through her publishing timeline template.
Notice how she breaks down each step of the publishing process, allots enough time for each step, and also inserts some amount of buffer in order to determine a reasonable deadline? You may want to use a similar method when breaking down your bigger goals. It creates smaller chunks of work, provides you with several shorter deadlines, and ensures that you have small wins along the way to completing your big goal!
No matter if you are creating a big or small goal, having a clear idea of when you want to finish is important if you want to complete your goal in a timely manner instead of procrastinating.
No matter if you are creating a big or small goal, having a clear idea of when you want to finish is important if you want to complete your goal in a timely manner instead of procrastinating.
No matter if you are creating a big or small goal, having a clear idea of when you want to finish is important if you want to complete your goal in a timely manner instead of procrastinating."
Your turn!
In your workbook, turn to Lesson Five and write down your deadline in the box at the top.
Optional: If you want, you can use the table to break your goal down into smaller pieces and shorter deadlines in order to reverse engineer your deadline.
Now that you have a S.M.A.R.T Goal, let's work on how to turn it into an action plan!
Optional: If you want, you can use the table to break your goal down into smaller pieces and shorter deadlines in order to reverse engineer your deadline.
Now that you have a S.M.A.R.T Goal, let's work on how to turn it into an action plan!
Works Cited
"How to Create Your Self-Publishing Plan and Timeline, + a FREE Template!" YouTube, uploaded by Bethany Atazadeh, 11 September 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XiQLhrE4JU&list=PL3IFBPbxQRyq1inVJX7LOhRMyYKhrW2jR&index=23