We had a nice turnout for our first meeting of the year, which focused on goal-setting. We exchanged best practices and supported each other in setting SMART goals for both our writing (such as word count, scenes or chapters, editing) and our businesses (such as networking, attending conferences and reader events, newsletters, marketing activities). SMART goals are those that are:

• S – specific. Think about the who, what, when, where, and why with respect to your goal.
• M – measurable. What metric(s) will you use to know if you’ve achieved your goal?
• A – achievable. What will it take for you to be able to accomplish this goal? Avoid setting goals that are dependent on something outside your control.
• R – relevant. Is this goal aligned with your broader business or other objectives?
• T – time-bound. What is your target date for meeting this goal?

We also discussed tools we use to help us stay on track with our goals, including apps, business plans and templates, Facebook groups (for knowledge sharing), and accountability groups.

We hope you’ll join us at our February 18th meeting, at which Katana Collins will present her workshop, “Social Media Sidekick: 24 Days of Content Created in 24 Hours”. See you there!