How many times have you told yourself "This is my year! I’m going to be widely published, make tons of money, and have plenty of time for activities I love. I may even finish that novel I’ve been thinking about since 1999…"

The problem is that so many of us never get any further than that. Dreaming is easy, but how do you take the visions of success dancing in your head and convert them into a plan that you can actually implement?

It seems simple enough: you have a dream, now go for it. But we’d like to introduce some concrete steps to get you from dream to goal:

1. Write it down.

Don’t skip this fundamental step. It’s not important where or how you write down your goals, just that you do so in a way that works for you. And "works for you" means "in a way that ensures you’ll remember your goals and keep them in mind as your work toward them." Write them in your calendar, type them up in a Word document, or scrawl them on a dry erase board or onto index cards. As Henriette Anne Klauser says in her book "Write It Down, Make It Happen," "By writing it down, you declare yourself in the game."

2. Tell someone about it.

Stating your goals not only helps you define and refine those goals in a way that makes sense to you, but it invites accountability from your peers. And let’s face it, in the solitary world of the writer, having someone to offer a gentle kick in the pants can be surprisingly effective and inspiring. Plus, it feels good to say your great ideas out loud.

3. Break it down into manageable steps.

This step is where many people stumble, so tread carefully. The key is in defining what’s "manageable." An essential part of David Allen’s book on productivity, "Getting Things Done," is in defining "action steps" as opposed to "projects." Basically, if a task requires more than one step, it’s most likely a project and needs to be broken down further.

While you might not need to distill things to this level, the idea is important: break down larger tasks into do-able chunks. Obviously, what’s "doable" for one writer (working from home while kids are in school) is impossible for another (working from home with newborn twins and a spouse who works late nights), so you really have to tweak this planning process to adjust for your current living situation.

Here’s an example for that mom of newborn twins:

Manageable: Write a query a week by: 1.studying the intended market, 2. determining the appropriate editor to query, 3. getting his or her contact information, 4. finding a study or expert to cite, if needed, 5. choosing 2-3 potential sources, 6. blocking out time to write the query, 7. lining up child care assistance if needed, and 8. telling my friends at D2D about this goal and asking them for help with keeping on task.

Not manageable: Write 5 queries a week, set up a functional area in the living room for an office, research one new market a week, read up on web design, read through stack of magazines in den.

The sad thing is, most of our lists look like the second one and not the first. We’re all great at making lists but not at budgeting the time and acknowledging the steps it’ll take to wade through those lists. So let this year be the year that this changes: 1. Write it down, 2. Tell somebody about it and 3. Break it down so you can get it done!

Further reading:

We have a Goal-Setting & Accountability message board on our forums; stop by, state your goals, and request accountability.

On the Message Boards: Setting Reasonable Goals

Write It Down, Make it Happen by Henriette Anne Klauser

Getting Things Done and Ready for Anything, both by David Allen

If you’d like to suggest a resource that has helped you in both setting and achieving goals, please share the title in the comment box. Your continued participation is what makes From Diapers to Deadlines a thriving community for all writing parents!

Coming Wednesday: Our interview with Kelly James Enger, author of "Six Figure Freelancing" and "Ready, Aim, Specialize!" And don’t forget, if you register as a new member and post on the message boards by January 31st, you’ll be eligible for a drawing to win a copy of Kelly’s book, "Six Figure Freelancing" on February 1st!

Have a great and productive week!

Meagan

We’d love to hear your thoughts. Share your progress, add your insights, or ask questions on our message boards. Click here to comment!