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Beginnings of the year almost always involve some sort of goal-setting.

• Spin more
• Knit from stash
• Finish crocheting from the WIP pile

But Stephannie has some great ideas. It gets closer to the whole SMART way of setting goals, but she gives examples. Such as:

• ‘Spinning 10 minutes daily after dinner’ versus just ‘Spin more’

But then she also talks about getting even more specific. Like, what fiber to use?  learn different draws?  etc. Since I’m not a spinner I’ll try my hand at a knitting goal. Such as:

• Finish one project every 3 months using stash yarn I’ve already acquired on a Knotions project of my choice.

This is pretty specific and gets close to what I really want to do. If I envision the end of the year and I can look back on it and say that I finished 4 projects using stash yarn – that would be huge. That’s one thing I encourage all of you to do – take the end of year challenge.

End of Year Challenge

Think of things at the end of your year. Is your goal still a good one? Will it please you if you hit it but still push you enough so it’s not a gimme? If so, then you hit the sweet spot of setting a goal.

If not, get more detailed.

Reassess

…and check in. A lot.

A lot more than every X months, I suggest you start out weekly. I know this may seem like a lot but this is your life. And I want you to have the best 2017 you can have.

So, I resolve to check in weekly. Some weeks may be brief, as in “Here’s where I’m at” and others may be a lot more lengthy. Some may even say I didn’t do anything toward my goal this week. Or that I’m not as far toward my goal as I was last week. All are OK – as long as I check in and keep on trucking.

Don’t forget

Do whatever you have to in order to keep this top-of-mind. Make it a background or a screen saver (if you’re like me and always on your computer) or put a meter as the image that shows on your phone’s wallpaper. Or print it and tape it somewhere you see all the time.

You get the idea.

Check In

Expect a weekly post from me checking in on my goal. Some will be quick and others will say a lot. But keep me honest and look for it every week.