Plan Your Writing Goals Like a Pro: Set Yourself Up for Success in 2025
Make 2025 the year you finally write your book—with less stress and more confidence
It’s official - goal setting works.
A study conducted by the Harvard Business Review found that people who have goals are 10x more likely to achieve them than those without .
And….. people who write down their goals are 3x more likely to succeed than those who don't.
Goal-setting helps enormously with writing a book, taking away the overwhelm and helping you optimize your (often limited) time.
When I got my three-book publishing deal to produce a novel a year (no pressure !), I knew planning would be the only way I would be able to deliver while running a business and looking after my young children.
Knowing that everything was written down and in my calendar gave me peace of mind.
Did it always work out?
No, because things come up in life (sick kids, emergency at work, etc) but it helped me get back on track a lot quicker than if I didn’t have goals in place.
And no, it didn't take away from my creativity - in fact it helped me be MORE creative because I wasn't stressing about missing deadlines.
A little planning can take away the overwhelm and give you more confidence so I’m sharing my step-by-step goal-setting process (it is December, after all!) to help you not only start writing a first draft of your book, but more importantly, to finish it.
So grab a coffee and your favorite note-book and let's get planning!
STEP 1: Get Clear On Your Why
Why are you writing this book? What is driving you to tell this particular story?
Is it to:
convey your message to a bigger audience?
leave a legacy?
explore your creativity?
earn money?
Getting clear on your why will act as a powerful motivator when the words aren't flowing.
TIP: Take a few minutes and answer the questions to help identify your purpose:
Is this book for me or someone else?
Who is my dream reader for this book?
If I never wrote my book, how would I feel?
How will writing this story help me in my life?
STEP 2: Define The Finish Line
Because if you don’t, it will drag on, and in ten years’ time, you’ll still be saying, I want to write a book.
Your main goal should be to write a first draft of your manuscript.
Notice I say first draft here - it will be rough and full of typos but once you've achieved this major milestone, you can then craft it, rewriting, editing and polishing.
For first drafts, I would suggest a maximum timeframe of a year if you have full-time responsibilities.
If you have the luxury of a little more time, such as three to four hours a day, I would restrict yourself to six months.
Any longer and you risk losing momentum and losing connection with your characters or ideas.
TIP: Choose an end date (be specific, for example, June 30, 2025) and write about how you would feel once you'd finished your first draft. Imagine typing The End and write about how you would celebrate. Print it out and put it in your workspace as a reminder.
STEP 3: Schedule Your Writing Time
Next, you need to look at your current and future commitments.
Where do you have space in your diary for writing?
If you don’t have the time, what are you willing to sacrifice?
Where can you free up time?
What current responsibilities, if anything, can you outsource?
Ideally, you want a regular slot – think little and often, even if it’s just fifteen minutes a day. This is a great start, because you start to form the habit.
Also consider your other commitments. If you know that every Tuesday night, you’re out with friends then perhaps Wednesday morning isn’t the best time to work on your book.
The less distracted you are when writing the better. Don't forget to make allowances for important events and holidays and address any potential obstacles such as childcare.
Once you’ve identified your regular slots, put them in your diary as non-negotiable appointments with yourself.
TIP: Think about when you’re at your most creative? If you’re an early bird, get up an hour earlier than your alarm or if you’re more of a night owl, schedule your writing slots in the evening. Writing is a lot easier when you’re in sync with your natural rhythms.
STEP 4: Decide On Your Milestones
Before you do any writing, it’s best to work on these milestones first:
Fleshing out the main idea
Deciding on the structure - the beginning, the middle, and the end
Add deadlines to each of the milestones, for example:
By February 28, I will know the key points of my beginning, middle, and end.
Once you start writing, I would suggest switching to numerical based goals within your allocated time slot.
For example, if you have blocked one hour to write from 7 am to 8 am, Monday to Friday, then aim to write 200 words during that hour. This technique will ensure that you are productive during your writing sessions.
TIP: Communicate your goals to those who may be impacted by them. If you plan to write every Saturday, yet you’ve always spent Saturday mornings with family, it’s best to manage expectations beforehand.
STEP 5: Choose Your Reward & Show Up
A reward system might not be necessary for everyone, but if you suspect you might not be as disciplined as you’d like, then a reward might help.
You can do small daily rewards (browse Instagram for fifteen minutes) or a weekly or monthly bigger goal - spa trip, anyone?
Once you have chosen your rewards, there’s nothing left to do but to show up for your writing appointments.
Many writers find it hard to start but if you can manage the first five minutes, then you’ll find it easier to keep going.
TIP: Make your writing area as attractive and comfortable as possible so you actually want to sit at your desk and get those words down.
FINAL WORDS:
Even as a full-time writer, I still have bad days, where I feel tired or uninspired and the last thing I want to do is type. It’s normal – we’re only human after all. The secret is to write something – anything – even if you believe it to be rubbish! Remember, you can always come back and edit it later. As Jodi Picoult said:
“You can always edit a bad page - you can’t edit a blank page.”
Send me a message if you need help planning your writing goals!
