As we finish out the holidays, many people will be making New Year’s resolutions. I love the idea of working toward personal improvement every year, but New Year’s resolutions have never worked well for me. That is why about seven years ago, I started writing New Year’s goals instead.

About this time every year, I create a list of 10 goals that I want to accomplish for the following year. Since I’m a teacher, who often talks about goals with my students, I write SMART goals. This means each goal is Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-Bound.

I have found that the longer I practice SMART goals, the more I’m able to accomplish. Last year I was able to complete 6 of my goals in their entirety and partially finish a few more.

Every year it seems like more of my goals are connected to my writing life, but I don’t think that is a problem. I have realized that writing is what makes me feel fulfilled and staves off those cycles of depression. Thus, for 2024 I have 5 writing-related goals:

1. Rewrite a novel by the end of the 1st Quarter: prioritizing “Blood Braided by Moonlight.” This requires revising 80k words over 90 days, or 890 words per day. This is reasonable since I did something similar in 2023 with “Wrath of the Stars.”
2. Complete the first draft of a new book. This requires writing 50k words during NaNoWriMo, though as long as the word goal is reached by the end of the 4th Quarter, I will be happy.
3. Write 1 short story per month (or 12 total). These may range from 1-10 pages in length, and I will prioritize writing them during Quarters 2-3, while I am not trying to write/rewrite a novel. Last year, I wrote 15.
4. Update my blog and social media with new posts once a week. Since I started this blog, I have been trying to update it every week while also posting updates on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. I have mostly succeeded (pre-holiday), so I will continue that pattern next year.
5. Get an agent for publishing a book. I will make a list of the agents I want to query during 1st Quarter and send out query letters during 2nd Quarter; I will participate in at least one #pitchwar during 3rd Quarter, and send out a second set of query letters 4th Quarter if there is no response beforehand. This is definitely my hardest goal and is something I have been working on for several years.

But not all my goals are connected to writing. I have a number of personal goals that I’ve been working on as well. I have a habit of isolating myself, especially when I am working on a big project or am overwhelmed at work, so some of these goals are intended to keep me socially involved and emotionally healthy. Others are simply things that make me happy.

1. Participate in a roleplaying game every month. I play Dungeons and Dragons with a friend group every other week, and Ryuutama (Studio Ghibli D&D) on the alternate weeks. This has been my one major social engagement each week, so making sure that I attend at least once a month is the easiest goal on the list, but I need at least one goal that does not stress me out.
2. Work out at least once a week, training up to rowing for 20 minutes. Last year, I had the same goal and was working out 2-3 times a week until I injured myself. Since then I have been doing physical therapy and yoga. I am feeling confident that I will be able to continue this journey for the new year.
3. Complete relationship workbook, “Securely Attached” by Eli Harwood. At 150 pages long, I will be completing it with my partner at 3 pages per week. Having healthy relationships is really important to me, and this book is about processing emotions and how childhood affects us as adults. Yay for trauma processing!
4. Complete 1 tarot reading per month. Tarot cannot tell me anything I do not already know, but it does help organize my thoughts and feelings. I did a poor job of keeping up with this goal last year, so I am adding reminders at the beginning of every month into my phone to help me.
5. Get a 3rd tattoo. I already have a half sleeve planned out, but I need to find an artist and book an appointment. That will be my goal for 1st Quarter, since it will likely take a few months before they can even start on it.

With these 10 goals in place, I feel like I am setting myself up for success. The goals include ideas for improving my life by keeping my writing career on track as well as improving my physical and emotional well-being. I highly encourage everyone else to consider making some goals for the new year and ask yourself: Where do you want to be this time next year?

Happy New Year! And good luck in 2024!