My original blog banner (photo by Stephanie Morgan)

This year marks the ten-year anniversary of this blog (my first post was written in December of 2009). Zooming out, that decade comprises about a fifth of my life so far, a third of my adulthood, about half of my marriage, nearly the entirety of my time as a father, and more than three times the length of my writing career (which didn’t officially start until 2016 with my first published story).

All-in-all the past decade has been a period during which I’ve tried to write both regularly and professionally, while living healthfully, being a good husband, dad, son, brother, and friend, and thinking a lot about what I can do to improve both my own life and the world. It’s been a quieter, less dramatic, more focussed decade than my thirties (which were filled with loud electronic music and whiskey). Writing this blog has been good for my mental health.

My approach has been to write about whatever I’m thinking about on a particular day. It hasn’t made for a focussed reading experience, but over the years certain themes have emerged: trying to be a writer, health problems and solutions, lifestyle experiments, and setting goals. I like to revisit topics I’ve explored to see how the ideas and systems hold up over time. Sometimes I get caught up in an initial flush of enthusiasm for a new idea or lifestyle, then revisit the topic once I’ve “sobered up.”

Revisiting Goal-Setting Systems

Around six years ago I was experimenting with having a singular life goal (“One Goal To Rule Them All“), and for a long time I used that system, or something close to it. It helped me accomplish a few big firsts, including finishing my first novel that didn’t suck, and getting my first pro sales and becoming a SFWA active member.

Over time I came to feel that having only one major goal at any given time wasn’t ideal (for me) for a number of reasons, including:

  • It left little room for opportunism (moving toward a different goal when a good opportunity presented itself).
  • If I wasn’t making significant progress toward that goal, I sometimes felt discouraged, even if my life was going well.
  • It left me feeling imbalanced, with too much emphasis on career and achievement, and not enough on health, family, and emotional well being.
  • While having a single goal did help me focus my efforts, it wasn’t as motivating as I hoped it might be.
  • Overall it just felt too narrow and restrictive, too much push and not enough flow.

My Current Life Direction System

I feel more fulfilled and focussed when I know where I’m trying to go. None of us really know where we’ll end up — life has too many unpredictable and uncontrollable variables (including the decisions of other people). But it’s possible to imagine what your ideal life looks like (the more details, the better) and then work out the steps you need to take to increase the probability of some or all of those dreams becoming real.

Here’s my current four-level system, from top-level to nitty-gritty:

Level 1 — A Five Year Life Commitment

I use Mark Benioff’s V2MOM method (Vision, Values, Methods, Obstacles, Measures) to think about the next five years, at least in terms of career. To make your own V2MOM plan, answer the following questions:

VISION (What do you want?):
VALUES (What’s important about it?):
METHODS (How do you get it?):
OBSTACLES (What might stand in the way?):
MEASURES (How will you know when you have it?):

I’m currently using this method to work toward becoming a commercially successful science fiction novelist. That doesn’t mean that’s the only thing I want out of life, but that’s my main career objective.

Level 2 — Top Five Goals (Focus)

After I read this post about Warren Buffet’s 5/25  method, I immediately wanted to try it. The idea is simple:

  1. Make a list of your top 25 career goals.
  2. Review the list and circle your top 5.
  3. Resolve to completely ignore every goal not on the top 5, giving them zero energy and attention. You can promote your secondary goals to the top 5 list once something else on the top 5 list is accomplished.

I really like this system because it allows for plenty of opportunism and/or focus-shifting, but in a controlled manner. For example, if I feel inspired to work on one writing project and not another (say, a novel instead of a short story), I can shift gears but not feel like I’m getting off track. I’m still writing, I’m still working toward my goals, I’m still working toward my long-term career commitment.

When I finished The Sky Woman, but hadn’t yet shopped or sold it, my plan at the time was to switch to short story writing and try to become an active member of the SFWA. But I soon realized I wasn’t in the write headspace to switch to short stories — I wanted to write another novel. So I did (I wrote The Guardian, the sequel to The Sky Woman, which will be published by Flame Tree this November). Later I did write and publish short stories (and eventually was able to join the SFWA), but I’m glad I waited until I was ready to dive into that goal, instead of banging my head against the wall.

A linear, one-thing-at-a-time approach can feel powerful and straightforward, but it doesn’t allow for changes in mood, inspiration, or random opportunities. That’s why it’s helpful to have multiple concurrent career goals; it’s more efficient in terms of energy expenditure. But more than five is probably spreading yourself too thin.

I also maintain a list of personal, non-career goals in a similar fashion (health, relationships, places I want to visit, etc.).

Level 3 — Monthly Goals and Plans

I spend an hour or so on the first of each month making a list of concrete objectives. This includes writing projects, consulting projects, family stuff, music label projects — basically everything that is too big to be handled in a single session. Usually I’ll assign one item as the top goal (and usually that’s writing related).

Every Friday I review the list and make notes regarding my progress. If progress is slow, that’s usually a sign that I’ve been too ambitious and included too many items on the list. Or it can simply mean that I’m in a low-productivity state, due to distractions, mental or physical health status, commitments that aren’t on the list, etc.

I try not to judge or criticize myself if I’m not making great progress, but instead just evaluate why. Sometimes I’m being lazy and I need to kick it up a notch; at other times I’m just moving slowly, and that’s the right speed.

Level 4 — Daily Goals and Tasks

I use a combination of Todoist and Google Calendar/Mac Calendar to track and schedule tasks. On days when I have it together, I’ll prioritize three tasks — usually writing, some form of computer-related freelance work, and something else. In general writing needs to happen first — it requires the most concentration, and if I don’t start with writing, I rarely get to it.

Commonalities of a Good Goal-Setting System?

So that’s my current system. In the past I’ve also experimented with setting annual and quarterly goals, but I didn’t find either of those timeframes to be helpful. Ultimately, having a five year plan, five career goals, and monthly sub-goals and tasks is plenty.

Obviously there’s no best system that will be ideal for everyone, but I think a good goal-setting system will include the following elements:

  • An examination of personal values: What’s most important to you?
  • Active imagining/visualization: What does your ideal life look like, exactly?
  • Strategizing: What do you need to do to realize that life?
  • Winnowing: What are less important goals and dreams that you can let go of, for now, while you focus on what is most important?
  • Scheduling: When exactly are you going to do it?
  • Tracking and review: How much progress are you making, and what adjustments do you need to make?

What system do you use to stay pointed in the right direction, and create the life you want? Please share in the comments.