I’ve talked about his in the past. Setting goals is one of those things I am constantly arguing in the back of my mind. I find the need for goals, the expectation of a deadline, to be absolutely fundamental to making sure the work gets DONE.

Here’s what you need to do when setting goals:

Be Reasonable when setting goals

Your time is finite. That’s just a fact of life. There are only so many hours in the day. You have kids, a “real” job, responsibilities, social obligations, and more to fill in the schedule. That tends to put a major crimp in your writing schedule.

Know what time you have. Then plan it out. Are you writing a novel or a short story? Know your project, so you can map out exactly what needs to be involved in getting it completed on a timetable that doesn’t make you want to scream.

How do I manage this? Take a look my plans for the next DSA book.

DSA books are planned to clock in at 40,000 – 45,000 words. That isn’t set in stone, but it gives me a ballpark and helps guide my time.

With my kids in school (for the moment) I have approximately 4 to 5 hours of solid work time. (Listen, I need a lunch break. Cut me some slack.)

Monday through Friday I shoot for 3 chapters per day during those hours. That is my goal. Some people have word count goals (I like to shoot for 3,000 – 4,000 words per day) but for my purposes chapter goals work better according to my schedule.

Saturday and Sunday are bonus days (or catch-up days).

The typical DSA book is around 30 – 35 chapters, so it stands to reason I need about 12 days to get a draft done. That is my goal, and follows the schedule I have to use due to my other commitments.

Be flexible when setting goals

Life gets in the way. It always will. The kids get sick. The laundry piles up. It happens.

Give yourself some breathing room. Make the deadlines work for you instead of against you. If you think 12 days is needed to complete a book, give yourself 14 as a buffer. Don’t schedule the next right after, or you’ll be chasing deadlines FOREVER.

For the next DSA Book, here is where my schedule is at right now:

This week is all about prep. I have a script in hand, and I like to read through my previous notes for guidance on the draft. I refine the dialogue, shift things around, or develop the setting more clearly during this period. Everything helps me get ready to write.

Next Tuesday, (damn you, holiday!) I start the draft. It is 38 chapters, the longest DSA yet. At 3 chapters per day, I need 13 days to complete the draft. So I should be done by June 17th if I only work Monday through Friday on the book. (I won’t, but it is a nice thought at least…)

I won’t set my deadline for June 17th. Instead, I push it out to June 20th. (Sunday.) The cushion allows for sick days with the kids, emergency grocery shopping, and who knows what else to crush my schedule. Even with these distractions, there will still be work time. Even if the schedule falls to 1 chapter for the day, there will be 3 done the following day and so on. Again, weekends allow for catch-up.

BUT, if I do stick to my guns, the 17th becomes very much a real deadline. And from the 18th to the 20th, suddenly I have a little break. How nice is that?

Track your progress

This is key. This is the accountability for us shut-ins. You need this level of commitment. This keeps you honest and holds you to your goal. It is also a great motivator to see where you are, and how close the finish line is.

For me, I keep it simple. I use a Word document to note my chapter progress, and my word count (both for the day and cumulative). It really helps see where I am, how much I can get done to fit in my schedule, and where I had some trouble.

Here is the breakdown for a recent draft:

4/25/21 – 3 chapters, 4,850 words

4/26/21 – 5 chapters, 8,299 words (3,449)

4/27/21 – 8 chapters, 12,507 words (4,208)

4/28/21 – 12 chapters, 17,423 words (4,916)

4/29/21 – 15 chapters, 22,029 words (4,606)

5/3/21 – 18 chapters, 25,270 words (3,241)

5/4/21 – 22 chapters, 28,968 words (3,698)

5/5/21 – 23 chapters, 30,799 words (1,831)

5/6/21 – 27 chapters, 35,937 words (5,138)

5/7/21 – 31 chapters, 40,690 words (4,753)

5/8/21 – 33 chapters, 42,485 words (1,795)

There is a gap. That isn’t my usual writing style. I planned to take the 30th – 2nd off to recover from the COVID vaccine. I knew it was coming, and what was involved, so I planned accordingly. (Get vaccinated!)

The bold line indicates an emergency grocery shopping morning that cost me some time. It forced me to miss my soft deadline of the 7th for completion, but I was able to easily finish things off on the 8th.

I gave myself the next week as prep for the next draft, so there was plenty of wiggle room here. Any self-applied pressure would only have delayed my progress, or shortchanged the chapters being written that day.

Setting goals

Be reasonable. Be flexible. And always be willing to track your progress. It’s a great way to figure out how best to manage your time, and keeps you working to meet your goals.