I’ve seen a few blogs recently that have asked very specific questions – only to be ignored. Not surprising. The questions, you see, are ones of accountability. Amanda asked What About Your Writer’s Resolutions? and then she waited. Two of us commented. Not exactly total silence. It sure faired better than when I asked how you were doing back in June on the Mid-Year Report Card post (ooo, can you hear the echo there?). Now Anne asks about your goals – have you reached them? Again, two comments.
So if you don’t answer to your freelance community about your business goals, whom do you answer to exactly? You don’t have a boss, per se. You have many clients, but they don’t care about anything beyond that project you’re completing for them. If you fail to make enough this year to pay your taxes, it’s no skin off their noses, right?
You may say you answer to yourself. Fine. But do you? Really? When was the last time this year (assuming we all set goals in early January) that you considered how well you were doing against those goals? Don’t try to make us swallow the “But if I don’t pay my bills I answer to my creditors” line. We all do. I’m talking the larger picture. If you set a goal to make, say, $50K this year and you don’t make it, how are you going to hold yourself accountable if you ignore the situation? Does it pain you to admit to colleagues that your goals are as distant a memory as what you did on New Year’s Eve?
Accountability, in my opinion, is absolutely necessary. I write a lot of business copy and what stands out in nearly every instance is that when these people have applied accountability to the job function of every employee, profits increased. Not just a little, either. The minute the employees understood that they owned both the praise and the blame for their actions, work became a bit more important and goals were suddenly on everyone’s minds.
You work by yourself. You set your goals; you may even write them down all nice and neat in a Word document. Then what? Do you map out a plan of action that will help you toward those goals? Do you set weekly benchmarks or monthly goals to help you stay on track? Do you even look at those goals again?
How can you set up a system of accountability that has you answering for your actions or lack thereof? If you’re not going to answer to yourself, who might you answer to instead? Are you willing to put your missteps, your fears, your successes, or your doubts in writing? If not, why not? What are you afraid of? Do you think all of us here aren’t struggling with the same things you are? Come on – share.
I’ll keep asking. It’s my way of staying accountable. It’s up to you if you want to answer. So I’ll ask again – have you reached those goals? If not, what do you think happened? If you did, how did you do it? Let’s talk.
Ha ha. I actually felt a little guilty when I read this! I remember reading your Mid-Year Report Card post and being intimidated about being the first to comment, so I didn’t.
I still consider myself a newbie to the world of freelancing, so my goals are a little, uh, nonspecific. Last year, I just wanted to prove to myself I could do it. This year, I just wanted to do better than last year, reinforce a few of the client relationships I forged last year, and add a few new ones. So I guess, both years, I’ve met my goals.
Next year, I’ll try for some more definitive goals–but I still don’t want to be the first one to comment about them when the time comes!
Congratulations – you’ve commented first and you lived to tell. :))
Thanks for starting us off. Anyone else want to jump in?
Okay, I’ll jump in. In January, I had no freelancing goals because I was working full-time. When I quit my miserable, life-sucking job in June, my only goal was to make enough to match my full-time income, plus the amount of my monthly benefit premiums. I did NOT do that in July or August. In September, I doubled it, and in October I should triple it based on what I have in the pipeline right now.
Whew, I survived as well.
You did indeed, Leigh. :))
Okay, in the spirit of accountability and sharing, I’ll share my goals and outcomes. I wanted to add about $10K to my annual total. I didn’t do that – at the moment, I’m looking at $15K I’ve added. How I did it – I marketed when I was busy; I secured a regular client with lots of work paying on time every time; I reached out to old clients who paid well; I tapped into new sources for work; I kept working on gaining more clients and better paying work. Frankly, I’m the most shocked by my success this year.
Now, your turn. 🙂
I am determined to improve my income as a freelance writer each year. For me personally that means I need daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals.
1)I need them to keep me from veering off path when I get distracted (which happens very easily).
2)I need to look at them for encouragement to see what I have already accomplished when I feel like I’ve lost my mind choosing to be a freelance writer, or when I’m dealing with a “challenging” client.
3) I need them to help me “up the ante” so that I never get comfortable and stop challenging myself.
That’s why the GDRs (Goals, Dreams, and REsolutions) questions I set up a few years ago have worked well for the group of us who do them.
We are accountable to ourselves and each other every month, every quarter, every half year. We assess at the end of the year what we’ve done and, most importantly BUILD on it, rather than starting from scratch.
The most important lesson I learned from setting goals is not to get locked in — life constantly throws me opportunities that far surpass my original goals. I have to be ready to grab them and amend my goals, not use the goals as an excuse not to excel.
Note that I use the opportunities/obstacles to set the bar HIGHER for myself, not to have an excuse not to reach goals that no longer work.
Your GDR came to mind instantly. 🙂 I’ve found it so, well, lucrative to keep close watch on my progress, my slumps, my marketing, etc. You learn so much if you just allow yourself to be your own teacher.