My friend Angela posted discussion the other day about setting concrete goals to move forward in her projects. It occurred to me that I don’t think I’ve shared the method that I started at the end of last year for doing just that.
At work one day last year, I noticed a book on a co-worker’s desk, “The 12-Week Year.” It was all about how businesses aren’t reaching their goals because a year is too far out on the calendar to excite anyone. Companies think, “Oh, we’ll get to that next week or the next month or next quarter.” And whatever IT is, IT doesn’t happen.
I don’t own a business but I do own my own time. I’ve always felt that I don’t get enough done (though my husband says I do quite enough and I suffer from straight-A student syndrome). After I found this book I thought, “Hey, I could do that with my goals…whatever they may be! I didn’t tell anyone I tried to do this last year because I didn’t want to fail. (I have this weird penchant for not succeeding when I announce plans.) But, I succeeded. I met my goals. I am now in my 3rd 12-week goal setting period and I am well on track for meeting my current goals.
If you feel like you can’t get a handle on things, map out your goals for the next 12 weeks and follow the SMART acronym. Make the goals Specific (a new doublet), Measurable (I will finish it), Achievable (work on it for an hour a day), Relevant (it’s for an event), and Time bound (the event is 8 weeks from now).
Since the fabulous trip to NYC to shop, I have to rethink some of my sub-goals. I’m going to have to dovetail two sets of goals into one reasonable set. I need to modify a couple of my 12 week goals to include sewing 8 new garments before the next trip to NYC.
To that end, here are 13 thread-covered buttons in progress. I need to tart them up with some violet silk accents.
Black Thread Covered Buttons
16th Century German Costuming 