How To Set Better Goals
Today I want to talk about my goals for the new year. Goals for the podcast, for my art business, for my habits, hobbies, and health. I have 10 categories that I write out goals for every year and I thought- what better way to keep myself accountable than to tell all of you what they are and why I’m choosing them as goals.
The Goal Setting Process:
Once a year, in November/December I think of all the things I want to do in the new year. I write them out in my journal and I visualize what my life will look like when I’ve accomplished them.
For example, a yearly goal of mine is to read 50 books in a year.
I then will think about all the kinds of books that are attractive to me right now. In 2022 it was romance and fantasy books. For 2023, I want to read more art theory books and continue with fantasy novels as they are so fun to me!
Once I’ve focused on the details, I’ll have a little meditation on what it will feel like to have read 50 books by December of next year. Thinking about the new concepts I will have learned, the joy I’ll have felt while reading the books, the conversations I’ll be able to have with my fellow book lovers, etc. Doing this visualization gives me some energy to pursue the goal and the clarity of what it will be like to have accomplished it. I do this with EVERY goal. Some are simple like reading books, others more complex and vague. I make it work.
Then I will take that goal and look at my yearly calendar. When am I going to allocate time for that goal? Do I have time set aside each month for reading? Each week? Daily? Reading is a way I relax, so I set aside some time in my calendar to read each day after dinner. It’s about 30 min and it’s simply labeled Reading time! It’s not a big deal if I need to cancel reading one day or if I don’t get to my books for a whole week. But the fact that I’m setting an intention to read in my daily life is a wonderful way of achieving my 50 books goal.
Because I did this in 2022, I read 50 books by mid November. A month and a half early.
Sometimes goals will require you to set up bigger support systems. If we continue with this reading goal example, my additional supports are my two book clubs. I have Art Book Club for the Podcast & Twitch. I have a second book club that I do with a few friends. Each month I read 2 books for the book clubs. That’s 24 books a year that I’m going to have more support in reading, since there are other people doing it with me.
Something I’ve learned about myself through the years is I’m highly motivated to do things; if it’s social. Not that I get FOMO, but that if another person is there wanting to do THE THING, then I’m 80% more likely to get it done. So I utilize this for my goals.
To summarize:
Set the goal (Read 50 books)
Visualize what it will feel like to accomplish the goal
Set when you are going to do the goal, in it’s one sitting task form (30 min a day)
Set up supports to help accomplish the goal. (2 books a month for book club)
A lot of these goals I’ve set the grounds for 5+ years ago. They are habitual, I don’t need to set a goal for them, as it will be easy to reach. But I still set the goal, as it keeps me clear as to my priorities.
Here are the categories for my 2023 goals:
Health
Rest
Home
Hobbies
Finance
Savings
Spending
Art:
Painting
(new) Podcast
Social Media
Business
Learning
Travel
Family
Friends
Relationship
Health:
Find and take a weekly class in Yoga or another fitness/sport that appeals.
I’ve been considering taking Barre Classes or Dance classes
My previous yoga studio I had in 2022 closed down mid year and it really threw me off my game.
When I pay for a class, i'm MUCH more likely to go to it.
Visualize: I’m having a lot of fun in my weekly classes. I feel strong and that I’m pushing the limits of my body in a healthy way. I’m making new friends who have similar interests in learning this with me.
Yoga at home 3 times a week.
Yoga with Adrienne is a favorite free instructor that I enjoy. I also have an app that has classes. I prefer to do this midday before Painting.
Visualize: My body is ready for the work I have ahead of me. My mind is clearer for doing these sessions and I look forward to getting on the mat. I have creativity in motion and the flexibility I'm cultivating in my body translates into other areas of my life.
Meals:
Eat out OR take out once a week as a treat!
Meet a friend for coffee/tea once a week.
Batch cook meals so that I always have something ready made in my freezer for when I don’t have energy to cook.
Keep healthy snacks on hand that bring me nutrition, not just satisfying a craving.
New habit: When I’m craving sugar, drink a glass of water before indulging. (I’m usually just thirsty)
Visualize: By Eating out once a week I’m socializing more regularly. Having tea with a family member or friend keeps my mental health encouraged just as much as keeping my love for flavor alive.
Visualize: By making sure I have ready made meals in my freezer I’m encouraging myself to eat well and stick to my budget. I take pride in the things I make, and that includes food.
Rest:
I will set time aside for rest every day. 2 days a week will be non-working days. Visualize: Rest brings me long term health and happiness. By setting aside time for rest each day, I’m lengthening my life and enriching it. With rest I produce better artwork and deeper relationships.
Home:
Hang up mirror in living room
Get a new door for the studio
Reorganize my closet
Get a jewelry box so I have fewer tiny dishes
New bedding
Visualize: Having the small details of my home set up in an organized manner will bring peace to my mind as I look at the space. How my home is reflects how my mental state is. Taking care of my home is taking care of me.
Garden:
Big planters for back yard
Ground cover for back yard
Plan out little moment by bird feeder
Get a little stone creature
Plant a peony
Spend time each week working in the land with family.
Visualize: I have a garden that’s beautiful in each season. Being in it brings balance and happiness to everyone who enters it. In the dry season I get to draw the flowers. Working out outside is fun and refreshing. The path to the studio is inviting and tells a story of what might be inside. The garden frames the sauna and entices relaxation. People remark how beautiful it is when they walk by it.
Hobbies:
Reading- Read 50 books for the year.
Visualize: I have time to read each day. My book clubs are healthy and fun. They encourage community and the search for knowledge. I’m reading books about art, romance, and fantasy. I feel a thrill for all the books I’ll read in the future.
Tarot- Reading the cards once a week.
Visualize: Reading my cards brings me happiness and clarity to my problems. It deepens my intuition and attunes me to symbolism.
Finance:
Emergency Savings- Add 4800 into my Savings account by December 2023. This is $400 a month into savings, which is set up.
5 year goal: 24k into savings (on track to happen in 4.5 years if I keep up $400 into the acc)
Visualize- Having a large amount of Savings keeps me out of a pinch when the rains come. I’ll be able to take care of problems as they come along and not stress about where the money will come from.
Vault Savings - Add $1800 into my Vault Savings account by December 2023. This is $150 a month, which is set up.
Visualize- The Vault Savings is for a big ticket item 20+ years down the road. By putting a little away each month instead of big amounts when I can, I’m consistently working towards a long term goal in a tangible way. 18,000 in 10 years will be very useful. $36000 in 20 years even more so.
Find a budgeting app that I like!
Implementing Finance Fridays into my life. I’ll spend 20 min every Friday keeping track of where my personal finance is.
Visualize- My budget is working for me. I’m on track to my savings goals and have no credit card debt. I feel a financial freedom that is well supported by my systems.
Art:
Painting - I want to make 25+ paintings this year.
Visualize: I have a new commission each month. My big show in February/March boosts my career and allows me a new creative freedom.
Podcast - A new podcast episode for EVERY week this year. 52 total. I want to have a guest on each month as well as an Art Book Club episode. There will be a corresponding social media post to each episode and they will feed each other.
I want to be on 3 other people’s podcast.
Visualize: The podcast keeps me engaged in expanding my learning and connecting with my collectors and colleagues. It brings me happiness to create and is building skills I’ll need for the future.
Twitch: 3 Art streams each week and one game stream on sudays (aside from Art Book Club)
Visualize: Twitch allows me to paint more impactfully. It’s the greatest habit I’ve cultivated for the art business and brings in a lot of business.
Business - I want to sell every painting I make this year. That means we need a new sales strategy.
I want to implement email marketing at a new level.
A new commissions page that’s easy and FUN to use.
I want to take on a painting student that can come to my studio OR make an online course.
Learning
Take a class at gage or elsewhere. Do something outside my comfort zone
Take a class that will support the business side of things
Visualize: 2023 will be a breakout year of artwork for me. The quality will improve and my sales will reflect that. I will feel fulfillment in my designs and excited to go to work each day. My life will have a healthy work balance.
Travel:
I will take a family trip with my mom and sister at the beginning of the year. The first in 5 years.
I will take an extended trip with my partner Luke to a city I’ve never been to before.
I will take 2 solo trips
Visualize: Travel ignites my creativity and soothes my soul. Restlessness is a sign I haven't gone anywhere in too long. I always have time to travel and a will take advantages of opportunities when they arise.
Family:
Monthly Family dinners! Have them over to my house once a month to each and relax around one another.
Visualize: A strong family makes for a strong mental state. With my family I am at ease and safe. They are my support and i am theirs.
Friends:
I will host my friends over for dinners or tea time twice a month. Cooking for them, watching a movie, relaxing around each other and introducing them to each other.
Visualize: A healthy friendship brings me happiness and satisfaction. Taking care of them is a way of taking care of me.
Relationship:
Do the 8 dates
Have a weekly date!
Visualize: My partner sees me for who I am, and loves me more for it. The confidence I feel in him is reflected back at me. In Luke I see a life long partner.
These are my goals for the new year! I’m excited to implement them into my lifestyle.
What are your goals for the year? Let me know in the comments or share them with me on IG
Host and artist Stephanie Scott breaks down the practicality of the art career with topics including: sustainable creative practices, social media skills, and the mindsets that keep it all together. New episodes every Tuesday!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephaniescott.art/
Website: http://www.stephaniescott.art/brushwork
Music by @winepot https://www.instagram.com/thewinepot/
Podcast Cover photo by Maryna Blumqvist https://instagram.com/picturemaryna