I've found a few tips that help me achieve goals:
1. Make a small number of goals at one time, and if they are connected in some way, that seems to help.
2. Break goals down into specific steps.
3. Plan the week ahead on Sunday night, and always look at goals to make sure they have a place on the upcoming week's schedule.
I especially have loved daily goals. Last year I read the Bible in a year with the Youversion app. This app (for computer, phone, or tablet) breaks the reading down into daily segments.
In 2010 I set the goal to write a poem each day. I was just coming off a period of writer's block and thought this would shake some cobwebs loose. I loved writing a daily poem so much that I have kept it up. Some of the poems are ones that I would send out, while many others are little exercises in mindful living. But I love the process of writing them, and the way I look at the world differently when I write poetry.
This year I have four goals:
1. Get all my eBay work done on Mondays (writing and scheduling listings, creating new collections, and scheduling tweets). Spend the rest of the week getting my vintage items up at: Bonanza, eCrater, Etsy, Amazon, Alibris, Biblio. I love my eBay store, but sales have slowed there for me the past couple of years. I really feel this is something I need to prioritize now.
2. Spend a few minutes each morning doing work related social media: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and possibly Instagram, Stumbleupon, and Google+ as well.
3. Blog regularly! Make blogging a bigger part of my life.
4. Go back to work on my not-quite-ready-to-discuss-it-yet writing project, and also start sending writing out again. When I was in college and grad school I published regularly in literary journals. I've fallen out of the habit of doing this, and I find I miss it.
So there you have it - my 2015 goals. I'll touch base during the year and talk about some of these goals more here.
What are YOUR goals for the upcoming year? I'd love to hear from you in the comments section, below.