Shhh!
Can I tell you a secret?
You have to promise not to tell anyone.
Ok, ok – listen carefully, because I’m only going to whisper.
Softly now.
I don’t normally do New Year’s Resolutions.
But This Year…
There, I said it. I don’t normally do New Year’s Resolutions. But this year is different. This year I have. In fact, I spent yesterday and this morning brainstorming my 2014 goals and writing them out neatly.
“Why?” you ask?
Well I’ll tell you why.
Everyone Else is Doing it
When a friend asked me mid-partying on the 31st what my goals were for 2014, I was stumped. I honestly didn’t have an answer. I hadn’t thought about it. “Make more money,” was my lame and slightly mumbled response, and it was actually expressed more as a question than a statement.
Then all my other friends started talking about their resolutions. They had some pretty legit goals. One friend even declared that 2014 would be the “Year of Russell” (his name is Russell).
It all got me thinking. So last night, I decided to get on the New Year’s Resolution bandwagon and try my hand at a little bit of planning. I’m not ready to declare 2014 the “Year of Emily” (we’re having too much fun with the hashtag #YearofRussell – get it trending, people!). But now that I’ve done a little planning, I’m pretty certain that 2014 is going to shape up to be a good year.
What I Came Up With
2014 Business Goals for Emily Read Copywriter
I have three main business goals for 2014. I’ve shared all three in detail with some close friends so they can hold me to account, but I’ll share one of them here.
Honestly, I do want to make more money this year. After all, I only started my business last year, and who doesn’t want to continually improve and move forward?
Of course, I didn’t just write “more money” on my list and leave it. I also added measurable steps I can take to achieve this. You’ll see me marketing more, and more effectively (in theory!). I plan to sharpen my focus on my site’s SEO, and on my blogging. I also plan to finally put more testimonials on my site, and, once I’ve updated the template, I’ll be adding logos from clients I’ve worked with. Finally, I’ll be going through my website to ensure it’s completely human optimised. These steps will all help me to extend my reach, and demonstrate my credibility – or at least, that’s the plan. If you have any further tips or hints to help me out, I’d love to hear them!
My 2014 Work Goals
My work goals include somewhat silly things like setting a mandatory “out of bed time”, along with others such as allocating a specific time for professional development. That’s right – even freelance copywriters have to engage in professional development; plus, we have to force ourselves to do it, because no one else is cracking the whip.
To help ensure that I achieve my work goals, I’ve set myself consequences for breaking them. They’re just little penalties – no Facebook before noon, no listening to music that day – but I suspect they’ll be effective. Thankfully, the days of having to delete my Facebook account in order to keep on track are well behind me.
How do you ensure you follow through with your goals?
My Personal New Year’s Resolutions for 2014
I’m actually still writing my personal goals for 2014 as I write this (business goal of more blogging = off to a good start). They’re fairly mundane things – healthier eating, better budgeting, etc. – but I’m also writing down steps to help me achieve them, ways to measure my success, and penalties for falling short to encourage myself to do better. If you have any tips or thoughts on how best to achieve your New Year’s Resolutions, then let me know!
Are You Getting on the New Year’s Resolution Bandwagon?
I hope that whoever and wherever you are, you are ready to make 2014 one rocking year of awesome. I know that’s my plan!
Will you be joining me on the New Year’s Resolution bandwagon? Perhaps you beat me there? Either way, there’s plenty of room. I guess it must be bigger on the inside.
Why not share one of your New Year’s Resolutions, and tell us how you’re going to achieve it? To be held to account, after you share your New Year’s Resolution below, you can share this post with your friends so they can call you out when you fudge the effort, pull you up when you stumble, and cheer you on as you succeed!
Oh, and don’t forget to help us get #YearofRussell trending! Happy New Year all 🙂