Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Goals and Motivation


I’m working under a deadline right now. Edits are due back to my publisher very soon. Do deadlines motivate you? Are you goal-oriented?
I’ve never been motivated by them, but due dates, deadlines, goals and metrics are a fact of life in both the work place and at home. But a due date for the electric bill or a charge card is a little different (still not fun) from work or personal deadlines, and from a writing deadline.
Goals, personal and business, tend to shut me down. I find myself staring at the clock or calendar and thinking about making the goal instead of actually working toward it. When I do have a writing deadline, I usually work well ahead of it and try to be done early. Maybe my brain thinks it can then pretend the deadline didn’t exist?
 
Another type of goal could be being on time for appointments or meetings. I do the same for those. I’m usually early because I’m afraid of being late.
What motivates you? Is it the journey or the destination? The work itself or the satisfaction of hitting the goal? Do rewards motivate you? Or just the relief of being done?
Do you set goals? If so, do you balance them with rewards? For instance, if I finish this task, then I can read my book (or take a cruise or go shopping). Or do you withhold rewards? As in, I can’t read this book until I finish my work? The difference is subtle, I think, but the first tends to position the reward as the goal. The second requires the completion of the goal before the reward can be enjoyed.
 
Are there goals or deadlines in your work life? Do you set goals or deadlines in your personal life?
~~:~~

     Grace Greene writes women's fiction and contemporary romance with suspense. A Virginia native, Grace has family ties to North Carolina. She writes books set in both locations.
     The Emerald Isle books, BEACH RENTAL and BEACH WINDS, are set in North Carolina where "It's always a good time for a love story and a trip to the beach."

     Or travel down Virginia Country Roads in KINCAID'S HOPE, A STRANGER IN WYNNEDOWER, and CUB CREEK and "Take a trip to love, mystery and suspense." BEACH RENTAL, her debut novel, won the Booksellers Best contest in both the Traditional and Best First Book categories. BEACH RENTAL and BEACH WINDS were each awarded 4.5 stars, Top Pick by RT Book Reviews magazine.
Grace lives in central Virginia. You’ll find her at www.GraceGreene.com

8 comments:

  1. Having worked in financial publishing for a long time, I am very deadline oriented. I'm also a goal setter. But I'm not good at rewarding myself for meeting my goals.

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    1. In my day job (financial industry) it was all about deliverables and their due dates. I was fine with that in the day job, but in my non-day job life, due dates and goals have never worked for me. I always feel like I have to beat them or I'll miss them. And yes, rewards are important, I think, whether financial, or a pat on the back, or a vacation, etc.

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  2. I set goals every day and am (fairly) good at meeting them, although I'm hard on myself. Like Jean, I'm not good at rewarding myself for meeting my goals, though.

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    1. I track my progress and occasionally I'll state a loose sort of goal as in "I'd like to hit # of words by this date on my WIP" and I track my daily work output, but hard dates, like those from my publisher, are more of a challenge for me.

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  3. Life is a series of deadlines. Good luck with yours, Grace

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    1. Thanks, Melinda. I know you very familiar with writing deadlines. We just keep moving forward :-) My husband says that I need a better reward system, though.

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  4. Procrastination is my middle name.

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    1. We may be related, Merrillee. I am such a procrastinator that I work to stay focused if it's something really important; otherwise, I may lose sight of it.

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