NEW YEAR, NEW GOALS by Teresa Inge

January symbolizes a new beginning and a fresh start to the new year. It also brings resolutions and a time to adopt new habits.

To me, it's the month that I set goals and view all things writing for the upcoming year. I decide which writing conferences to attend, view book signing locations and events, schedule book launches for upcoming books, and replenish bookmarks, books, and swag.  

In addition, I add a new goal during this time. So this month I plan to create writing presentations to present at events. I've been fortunate to participate on many conference panels throughout the years to discuss my books so I'm looking forward to sharing additional knowledge with audiences. I plan to start with Nancy Drew and book marketing presentations since I have vast experience in both topics.   

Another continuing goal is striving to write quality short stories and novels for my readers. Of course, scheduling writing time and submitting my work to various publishers and publications is my ultimate goal.

My last goal is to network with other authors and grow my readership by sharing updates about my books and upcoming events in a newsletter.

What goals, resolutions, and plans do you have for 2024? 

Teresa Inge is president of the Sisters in Crime, Mystery by the Sea chapter, a member of the Hampton Roads Writers, Short Mystery Fiction Society, and a contributor to the Sand in Our Shorts blog.   

She is an author in the Mutt Mysteries series, Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Coastal Crimes: Mysteries by the Sea, Murder by the Glass, Malice, Matrimony and Murder, and First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder.  

When not writing, Teresa can be found on the classic car show circuit showing her 1955 Torch Red Thunderbird. She can be reached on all social media or by posting a comment on her website www.teresainge.com  

Setting SMART Goals by Teresa Inge

 

Setting SMART Goals

After the holidays are over and you find yourself in a brand new year, it's time to reflect on what you can do to change your life for the better. That's where New Year's resolutions and goals come into play. But how do you know where to start?

Goal setting is one of the most basic and essential skills you can develop. Whether it’s a career, finance, writing, or a weight loss goal, any of these can be accomplished by first setting the goal and second sticking to it. The rest is up to you to make it happen.

As an administrative professional for nearly forty years and mystery writer in twelve books, I’ve learned to set SMART goals to manage dual careers. Meaning, they’re specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based. Below is a breakdown of how to set each goal.

Specific goals answer the who, what, when, where, and why of the goal. To make it specific, take “I want to learn Excel” to “I will register for an Excel class to build my skills to track and manage my budget.” Or “I need to improve my book research skills” to “I will use my library resources, the internet, and the historical society to improve my research skills for my book.” This way, you know exactly what you need to do and how you’re going to do it.

Measurable is the metric or progress of where you are now versus where you want to end up. This way, at any point throughout the goal-achieving timeline, you will know how far you’ve come and how far you have left to go to reach your goal.   

Attainable ensures you have the skills and resources to accomplish within the given time frame. If you set lofty and challenging goals that aren’t attainable, you’ll end up frustrated and possibly give up in the end. Keeping bigger goals in mind and breaking them into bite-sized pieces will achieve the ultimate win bit by bit.  

Relevant is the purpose of the goal to keep you motivated to achieve it. When goals are relevant, it means you’re spending your time wisely to make progress toward the bigger picture. There are probably a lot of things you want to get done in life with all types of goals but being passionate about something requires staying focused and picky about your time.

Time-based requires a deadline so you do not lose a sense of urgency. Having a completion date in mind will set your pace along the way and hold you accountable.  

Good luck with achieving your goals. Click here to access a SMART goals worksheet to help you begin your journey.