Each month I stay accountable to my goals by reviewing the goal, the strategies, and progress. This month started with a week-long vacation, so some numbers are lower. On the upside, I have regained use of my hand.

2022 Goals

Overarching theme: “Promotion”

2022 Goals

Goal 1: Who am I as a writer?

Obstacles

• A track record of success in the real estate niche
• Hard to break into new industries
• Not sure what will ignite my spark

Strategies

• Make time to “write for fun” and explore new topic niches

Progress: I did one for fun writing exercise, and did some exploration of other job boards. Nothing sounded appealing. More consistency is needed. Grade: D

Goal 2: Increase my knowledge base and writing skills.

Obstacles

• Balancing the need to generate income and acquiring new skills. 
• Classes cost money, which eats into revenue.
• Finding the time

Strategies

• Read the free resources that come into my inbox
• Create a “learning” budget I can use on courses
• Dedicate a set time for industry reading and learning.
• Create themes for the month to focus the learning

Progress: I’ve been doing better at reading the many newsletters that hit my inbox. I still have funds for professional development. I considered signing up for one professional development course, but decided it wasn’t the right fit yet.

Grade: B

Goal 3: Promote me.

Obstacles

• Time spent prospecting for new work
• Competition may be fierce
• I’m a shy person who doesn’t like to talk about myself
• Finding the byline writing opportunities on the immense World Wide Web

Strategies

• Launch a “how I edit” series on my website blog
• Find byline opportunities
• Make my website even easier to see my writing
• Dedicate a time to job hunt

Progress: I did not create any new “how I edit” videos because I simply forgot as I was working. I need a better plan for these. I did a small bit of job hunting, but not a lot. Grade: D

Goal 4: Maintain income stream of [confidential) through 2021. That’s an average of [confidential] per month.

Obstacles

• Limited time to work
• Reduced need in the market for writers
• Managing my time wisely

Strategies

• Reduce Upwork dependance so more money comes to my pocket.
• Charge the rates I’m worth..
• Work at least 5 hrs on my working days. 
• Track each month how much time is spent writing on projects versus time invested and rate earned. 

Progress: My average work hours declined this month, with varying from day to day. I still haven’t found the right recipe to balance movement with stationary work. Not moving (whether sitting or standing) for long periods bothers my hip and shoulder.

My May monthly income was 59% above the target. I need to adjust the target to more accurately reflect my average income. Grade: A