Okay, here it is. The dreaded goal post. (An unintended pun.) I say dreaded because I think setting goals has become something of a chore. I know I’ve made a lot of them over the years and achieved only a fraction. Either the goals I wrote weren’t helpful (too vague) or I became overwhelmed by the target (too big) or I lost interest before getting to the end (too boring). And I don’t think I’m alone here. University of Scranton research found that only 8% of people who set New Year's goals achieve them. That’s a sad 92% failure rate.
To make goal setting less dreadful, it helps to have a framework. You’re probably familiar with the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) formula, or its more handsome cousin, SMARTER (with Emotion and Reward). If not, here’s a quick tutorial. (2:05)
Why set goals?
The SMART/ER framework tells you how to set goals. But what value do they provide? Why should you set goals if there’s a good chance you’re going to fail? Mostly, I think they’re a reminder of what’s most important. Goals are set after you’ve done the work to know your purpose and to create a vision. (See purpose and vision posts). They help you narrow your focus on a small change in support of your better, future self.
If it helps, you can add layers to your goals. At work, I often hear people refer to “boulders, rocks, and pebbles” for large, medium, and small goals. That feels a little heavy (an intended pun). Let me suggest a new nomenclature.
Cakes
Doughnuts
Sprinkles
Or maybe just stick with large, medium, and small. Here’s an example. (Note, these are not written in a SMART/ER format to simplify the message and because I’m being lazy.)
Large Cake goal: Sign 1 contract to license my designs
Medium Doughnut goal: Find 20 potential clients and pitch my work to them
Small Sprinkles goal: Create 100 pattern designs and a portfolio of my best work
You can see how the goals build on each other. More importantly, these goals are driven by a vision to make a living as an artist and a purpose to inspire others to live a creative life.
Why build creative habits?
Here’s where the magic happens. You need to do the work to achieve the goal. But the work as described in the goals still feels overwhelming, right? (Hello, 92% failure rate.) So, the next step is to define the habits that are the work. Habits are the key to success.
A habit is simply a behavior that is repeated regularly (I’ll suggest daily) and can happen automatically if practiced long enough. Think about your morning routine. How often do you forget to brush your teeth? Probably not very often because that’s a practice you’ve been doing most of your life. (At least, I hope you have.) A goal-related habit contributes to the work of completing the goal. It’s a simple, small action (or a series of actions) to repeat day after day.
For the “create 100 pattern designs” goal mentioned above, my habits are:
Make a weekly list of 3-5 patterns to design.
Work on a pattern for 1 hour each morning.
Upload complete patterns to a portfolio asset folder.
You get the idea. A few tips to make your habits sticky.
Keep the habits small. Very small. Set yourself up to be successful by starting with a habit you can do quickly and easily and then build on it. Before having a habit of sketching in your sketchbook every day, build a habit of getting your sketchbook and picking up a pen every day.
Use triggers to prompt a new habit. For example, when I push the “brew” button on the coffee maker in the morning, that is a trigger for me to drink a big glass of water.
Bundle habits with something enjoyable or something you look forward to. I don’t have my first sip of coffee until after my computer is booted up and ready for designing. When I exercise on the treadmill, I listen to a good book.
Keep a visual record of your commitment. I wrote about this in an earlier blog post. Hat tip to Jerry Seinfeld for his “don’t break the chain” strategy for sticking with a habit. Use a calendar or a tracking worksheet (get a free one here) or journal or one of the posters I designed (buy one here or below) to track each day that you follow through on your habit(s). Trust me, it’s a good motivation technique.
Want to know more?
The ideas I’ve shared here are not novel. They are reflections and repetitions of ideas from people much smarter than me. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, does a great job of explaining the why, what, and how of habits. Here's one of the better, more comprehensive videos I came across. It features Clear and and a whiteboard animation. (9:04)
Here are a few good books I can recommend if you want to dive deeper into how to build creative or any other kind of habits.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
The Power Of Habit by Charles Duhigg
Tiny Habits by B.J. Fogg
Small things matter.
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