Tip 6: Bright-line goal setting
Make your writing goals clear and unambiguous so you can't miss them.
I’ve been self-employed for many years so homeworking was my reality long before the pandemic hit and everybody knew what ‘WFH’ meant.
Homeworking suits an introverted type like me but it has drawbacks. All too often, work time bleeds into me time. After all, there’s always another email to answer. Something you might associate with too.
From blurry to bright
Blurry lines between our work time and our down time will inevitably mean that we lack clarity on when to stop. Last week we wrote about the idea of having a shut down ritual at the end of your writing session - something that helps you ‘close’ your day and hopefully stops you from mulling over all the things you have to do.
The same principle applies for when we set goals.
Goals of any kind work best when they’re based around simple, transparent rules. These are called ‘bright-line goals’ and they work because they’re clear and unambiguous and you know instantly when you’ve stepped over a bright line.
Psychologists tell us that our brains are always trying to protect us from undue stress and cognitive effort. Complexity and vagueness induce effort and so we procrastinate.
Having a bright-line goal gives you mental clarity and doesn’t stress your brain out. It helps build a routine and reduces the need for willpower required to put the rule into practice.
How to set a bright-line goal
Setting a bright-line goal is pretty simple - in fact, simplicity is the key.
For example, let’s say your goal is to write on Saturday morning for two hours between 8am and 10am. Not only will you know that you have goal coming up in your calendar so will be more mentally prepared, it’s very clear what to do and when, and most important glaringly obvious when you’ve missed that goal.
When you have a vague goal - say, you’re going to try to write next Tuesday at some point - you can step over it more easily and so miss it more readily.
However while saying all this, it's also important to strike a balance between setting clear, bright-line goals and allowing for some flexibility when circumstances change or unexpected challenges arise.
Keep writing,
Chris
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