3 Quick Steps to Meet A Writing Goal

As writers, we all have writing goals that we would like to meet. But sometimes, a writing goal seems out of reach, or too overwhelming to complete. You feel as if you’re not getting anywhere, and you beat yourself up when you fail at meeting a goal. However, there are ways of meeting writing goals and motivating yourself to get them done in good time. Check out quick steps you can take to meet your writing goals below.

Break Your Goal into Smaller Pieces

I find that this quick step makes meeting goals easier. It also gets me to my goals faster. Think about if you want to write 500 words a day. That sounds like a pretty attainable goal! But you can always make it more attainable, especially if you don’t have a lot of time to write during the day.

Start by committing to writing 250 words, or even 100. Then write up to that goal. Do this however many times until you get to your 500 words!

I do this with 1500 to 2000 words a day on weekdays. First, I schedule my time out for the day, then I work on meeting a 250-word goal. I do that until I get to 500 words, then take a break. I then go back, write 250 words two more times, and so on. Not only is it easy to do, but I also don’t get overwhelmed thinking about writing 2000 words a day.

I don’t always meet my writing goal. Some days I write only 1000 words, or even less. But I stay consistent. I don’t beat myself up for not completing a goal exactly. The important thing was that I broke the goal down and made it manageable. So do the same to avoid stress and keep to your goals.

Schedule Your Time

Some writers plan everything, meaning they need to schedule their time when they write. I personally follow this rule. I schedule my time into small sections to make it easier to reach my goals and get everything I want done. But while not every writer plans everything, scheduling your time gives you space to breathe and set aside writing time. This motivates you to reach your goal in good time!

My schedule looks like this: writing time in the morning (10-11), early afternoon (1-2), late afternoon (4-5), and evening (6-7). Of course, not everyone has my schedule. I have the opportunity to work from home, and often, my hours look different every day. You need to make your own schedule, but what does that look like?

1. Find your favorite times to write. If you don’t enjoy yourself when you write, it might be that you need to find a better time to write. Pick a time where you’re most focused, most excited to write, and most relaxed. If you only write when you can, make sure you’re decompressed before you begin writing. That way you don’t start off on the wrong foot.

2. Schedule small writing goals. I create small goals to keep myself motivated, such as writing 250 words in a half hour. The manageable goals are easy to get through, and I feel great afterwards. Setting time aside for small goals like this also means that you get chunks of your larger goal done without stressing about the big picture.

Don’t Put Too Much Pressure on Yourself

Lastly, a good way to give up on your goals is to put too much pressure on yourself. When you don’t end up completing whatever goal you set in mind, you start thinking of yourself as a failure. That deters you from making any more goals and completing those. It also makes it harder to get up and try again.

Don’t beat yourself up too much if you don’t finish all of your goal. The fact that you got some or even most of your goal done should mean a lot. But how do you keep from putting too much pressure on yourself in the first place?

1. Make your goals attainable. Like I said before, break your goal into smaller sections to make it easier for yourself. Doing too much at once won’t get you anywhere, and it will leave you burnt out. Also, completing small easy goals means you’ll feel rewarded each time you complete a part of your goal. It gives you the motivation to keep going!

2. Take a step back. Even if you have a deadline, take the time to step back when you get overwhelmed. You can’t push forward if you’re too stressed. Take a drink of water, or go for a walk, or take a nap. Just do something that helps you decompress, then get back into your work.

3. Ask yourself why you’re stressed. Are you getting overwhelmed by everything you have to do? Are you trying to do too much? Do you need to adjust your goals? If so, take the time to edit your goal and destress. Once you pinpoint what’s making you stressed, you can work to get rid of it. That puts you much closer to your goal.

So if you want to accomplish your writing goals, be prepared to make some changes. Once you make things easier for yourself and more attainable, you’re on your way to making real progress. Just remember to enjoy the process. Happy writing!

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