How to Set SMART Writing Goals

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25 Responses

  1. Chris says:

    Very good post with the necessary uumph to get me from the thinking stage to the doing! Thanks for posting!

  2. Dustin says:

    Thank YOU for reading, Chris. Glad I could help.

  3. Zoe says:

    It was great to see this post in my RSS reader, as I just decided today that I need to make a set list of writing goals. To hold myself even more accountable, I also plan on giving my list to someone else.

    This post is pushing me to actually write down the list, instead of writing “make list” in my planner…!

  4. Stephanie says:

    Great tips! Thanks! I have trouble keeping up with blogging regularly, especially since in my case it usually involves cooking beforehand. I need to make a schedule to post at least once a week, preferably twice.

  5. Dan says:

    Great article, about how the Goals should be set.

    And if you’d like a tool for setting and tracking your goals you can try: http://www.gtdagenda.com

  6. Daniel J. says:

    Dustin, you’ve pointed out exactly what I need to work on to get my ideas off the ground. Do you have any suggested works I can read regarding SMART goal setting?

  7. Dustin says:

    Daniel: Not really — I don’t even remember where I first heard of it. I haven’t read any books that were explicitly about SMART goals, although a lot of productivity books have a section on the idea. The first few Google results for smart goals are pretty good, but nothing all that deep.

    Let me know if you find something good!

  8. Aram ZS says:

    Great post. Very useful information. It’s always hard to set proper goals, I’ve seen quite a few people fall into non-productivity because they’ve set unachievable or unmeasurable goals.

    I’d heard about the SMART system before, but you’ve explained it very clearly. Thanks!

  9. frootbat31 says:

    I added a link to my StumbleUpon for you. I’ve found several sites that explain the SMART method, but I believe you tell it best. Thanks.

  10. Dustin Wax says:

    Thank YOU, frootbat. I’m glad you found it useful!

  11. DanBoyer says:

    Thanks for the info. I began a non-fiction work about 4 weeks ago and have been pounding away pretty much everyday but I had no real basis for determining if my pace was realistic and sustainable. Thanks for the insight.

    DanBoyer
    Tampa, FL

  12. Writer says:

    Hey! I NEVER finish books, but now I’ll try this method! Thanks!

  13. LUSINDA CLOUD says:

    this strategy helped me and i think it will help others around the worled.
    remeber S M A R T !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  14. jill thrill says:

    OK so i am writing a book that is absolutely going to publish and i just didn’t know how to start until now and it is like, “why didn’t i come here in the first place?” and then i could have done this the right way from the start. i think that this is a very good method and i will tell all my friends about this SMART goal method and they will send it on and on. it isn’t just for writing but for the future in grades, friendship things like resolving them and basic life skills, this is what i plan to use the rest of my life. thank you

  1. July 21, 2008

    […] in Daily life, Writing tagged setting goals at 9:02 am by LeisureGuy Dustin Wax has a good post on setting goals, and specifically on setting SMART goals. (SMART is an acronym.) He casts it as goals for writing, […]

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