I hate to admit this, but….
I’m not the most efficient person. It often takes me three times as long to reach a goal, compared to others.
I used to write long lists of 20 things I planned to accomplish each month. There are so many things I want to do!
But then I would get confused by having too many goals and that made me less productive.
Finally, I figured out a way to be more efficient so that I can get my BIG goals accomplished each month.
On the first day of each month, I decide what the top three most important things are that I need to accomplish. I write them down and tape them to my wall next to my desk where I work.
For February, my goals are:
1 – Finish editing my next book
2 – Prepare for 2 upcoming speaking events
3 – Sell ONE $12,000 Painting!
When I find myself getting distracted (and boy, do I get distracted easily), I look at my simple list of goals and remind myself of what I need to be doing.
And here’s the magic ingredient to making sure that my goals are accomplished:
Every morning, I am committed to only work on one of those goals for the first 3 hours of the day.
Working on my goals happens BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE every single day.
Then, the rest of the day I’ll do all the other stuff that has to be done, like run errands, bookkeeping, open mail, etc.
Focusing on the three most important things FIRST each day gets me closer to accomplishing the big stuff, the stuff that matters.
What are are your TOP 3 GOALS THIS MONTH? Please leave a comment and share!
IF YOU WANT A REMINDER to set your three most important goals every month, make sure you are signed up for my email list. I’ll send you a reminder on the first of each month, to help you stay on track. SIGN UP HERE.
Here’s to a very prosperous month for us all!
Maria xxoo
Brophy Art Gallery & Design Studio
San Clemente, CA 92672
Thank you for this perfect goal setting method. My 3 goals are
1. To take my work to at least 3 galleries
2. Complete my latest prints and add them to my Etsy shop
3. Start creating an email list
Alison,
Thanks for sharing your goals! These are written perfectly, as you will know when you have reached them.
Post the list on your wall and spend time on then every day!
I’m keen to try the 3 goal strategy, here are mine!
1. Finish works for Latrobe Cottage exhibition
2. Write notes for Vision Australia radio interviews
3. Get invitations and catalogues for Viewpoints Exhibition finalised and printed.
Michelle,
Excellent, thanks for trying the strategy, and for sharing here on my blog. I appreciate it!
I would love a reminder for my monthly goals. I just want to say how incredibly thankful I am for the wisdom you selflessly share with artists. I have been following you for almost a decade! Just bought your book! Can’t wait to read it!
I also have a million things going through my head and write up a To Do list but my list each month is WAY TOO LONG.
This strategy of writing your 3 most important goals down and posting it on the wall makes so much sense!
I get distracted constantly all day and end up going off in six different directions and only being half efficient as I could be. I’ll try this and see how it works.
Thanks for reading and for sharing your own experience with having too many goals!
I hope this new strategy helps you to focus.
Excellent advice. I’ve been doing this for about 3 years now and I’ve gotten more accomplished. I set the rule that I have to do the most important thing for the day before 11 am.
I love your newsletters and have learned a lot from you this year – THANK YOU!!! My 3:
1. Create 15 Decorative Wall Hangings a week – Post Daily for my Homeless Charity – Create one new coloring a week for my brand/coloring book.
2. Organize my Photos and build my product line.
3. Start to go out to high end beach cities and promote.
Maria, we have a lot in common. Really great idea. I’ve got a plan for the Coming year, and I’m determined to put it first and focus, maybe for the first time ever.
Lori, I can’t wait to see what you have in store this year! I’ve been following your work for years. You are a great source of inspiration.
Now I’m scared… LOl… just kidding. I’ve gotten several emails from artists lately saying what you just did. Well, that fact alone will probably keep me on track since I don’t want to look foolish.
This is a long term project. First, I need to create the new body of work. But I’ll post progress as I go along.
I’ve gotten a lot of great advice from you Maria and think your new book is one of the best I’ve read on art marketing. I enjoy your “I’m one of you” attitude and your sharing what’s happening, good and bad. Your honesty makes a huge difference to us artists. Marketers who seem too polished often aren’t able to reach us artists who don’t want to feel too commercial in our efforts.
Thanks for all you’ve done and do.
I love that you admit that you aren’t the most efficient person–I totally resonate with this and appreciate hearing that since I have often compared myself to others:))) I have allowed myself distraction stations so that when my attention span is over for one area–I can go to the next station and it honors my desire to flit about:) just like rotating stations with a preschooler:)
Thanks Brooke!
I get sooo many ideas that I’m unable to focus, and at the end very little gets done. So sticking to this list of 3 top ones may be just what I need. So here goes 🙂…..
1. Come up with a clear elevator speech about the art I make and what I do
2.Make some prints of artwork
3.Visit a gallery and look for similar art to get idea of pricing
Great list, Beth! Curious about your elevator speech….would love to hear it.
I wnt to get our mortgage paid off this year. To do so, took a mentally draining full-time temporary position. I am fining it difficult to focus. I’m hoping to use your advice, lay out my 3 top Art goals for Feb, w/weekly & daily goals. I fear if I don’t do so, my art will fade into the background as it did the last time I had a full-time job.
Make a commitment to work on your art every single day, even if just for 30 minutes. That would keep your momentum and you’ll accomplish a lot if you stick with it.
Thanks for the goals reminder, Maria! I get so distracted and overwhelmed too with what seems like a million things to do. ‘Simplifying’ them in this way makes the tasks feel a lot more focused and doable.
Thank you again, your blog and emails have been so helpful this past year in helping me find focus and discovering my inner business woman!
xx,
Steph
My February goals are to:
1. Ink and digitally color 15 illustrations for March workshop presentation.
2. Book 3 live sketching/painting clients for the week of SXSW
3. Sell one original painting with matte and custom frame.
Maria,
This is a well written article! Thank you for sharing with us 🙂
Why are we “creatives” so easily distracted??? Maybe we just have so many wonderful ideas that we become overwhelmed with which to work on first.
Thank you, Maria, for yet another awesome post. I am going to put this “three per month” suggestion into practice starting this month! Hugs!
I get what you mean about being easily distracted. Thanks for the refocus!
Goals for (the rest of) February:
1) Load five inventory paintings on Saatchi .
2) Take a class to learn Illustrator.
3) Book a live event painting (for practice) for an animal shelter charity event.
Goals for the month of March:
1. Create art studio/area in my home
2. Sketch at least once a day for the month
3. Prepare three canvas pieces