5 Reasons Why You Need to Set Goals for Your Blog
I am a planner through and through.
I like to plan out every detail beforehand so I know exactly what I need to be doing.
For some reason when it came to my blog I never had a plan or even sat down to write out goals I wanted to achieve.
A lot of it stemmed from my fear of failing. I thought if I wrote down my goals, or even voiced them that when it didn’t happen I was a failure.
Thinking like this held me back for years. I was doing it backwards.
Instead of setting goals and making a plan to achieve them, I would just wish and hope and pray that what I wanted to accomplish would just magically happen.
Guess what happened? Nothing.
I stayed like that for years.
Just waiting for everything to work out for me.
I resisted setting goals for my blog for years.
Until I started to realize that my blog was stagnant.
I was stuck in this ‘maintenance mode’ and wasn’t accomplishing anything.
I needed to make a plan, but in order to make a plan, I had to start setting goals.
If you are like me and just jumped into this whole online blogging thing without even thinking about goals I want you to start now.
Goals are what will propel your blog forward to make your dreams a reality. They are the first step you need to take if you are ready to turn your hobby blog into a thriving business.
Why do you need goals?
Goals give you focus
I’m sure you know how overwhelming it can be when you have a million different ideas and try to do everything at once. When you set goals you can stay on track with what you actually want to accomplish so that you aren’t wasting time doing unnecessary tasks like scrolling social media.
When you set goals you are giving yourself direction which allows you to focus on the end result instead of aimlessly trying to figure out what you need to be doing. This will prevent distractions and allow you to be proactive with your blog.
Goals give you a plan
Most of us have big dreams and plans for our blogs but aren’t sure how to make them happen. When you create goals you can then break it down into a plan so that you have exact steps you need to take to get you where you want to go.
It is very easy to get frustrated and discouraged when you have this big idea of what you want to accomplish. When you properly set goals you can pull apart the goal into individual steps and milestones.
Goals provide you with motivation
It is an amazing feeling when you set a goal and actually achieve it. Not only did you put in all the time and effort, but you were able to accomplish something huge.
When you set goals you are providing yourself with motivation to keep moving forward to get that rewarding feeling again. It gets you excited about the result you are working towards.
Goals hold you accountable
Goals will keep you accountable and make sure you are focusing on the projects and tasks that will move you closer to achieving your goals.
We can easily get distracted or procrastinate with our blogs. When you set a goal you can hold yourself accountable and see if the actions you are taking are necessary to hit your goal. You won’t be able to make excuses anymore.
Goals allow you to track your progress
When you set goals for your blog you can track your progress and watch the momentum you are creating towards hitting your goal. They allow you to create milestones and benchmarks along the way.
Check out these 3 ways to track your progress toward your goals
When you regularly sit down and track your progress you can watch the growth and impact you are making with your blog. It will also allow you to see exactly what is working and not working so that you can make changes and move forward.
I encourage you to start setting goals for your blog today. I highly recommend that you begin to create 90-day goals instead of writing out annual goals.
Download a copy of my Goal Setting Workbook for Bloggers to help you get started today.
I do not like Yearly Goals because:
#1 - When you plan too much it leads to inaction. Trying to plan the next 12 months from now can become debilitating. Since it is so far out you often lack a plan
#2 - Do you feel overwhelmed with goal setting? Most of the time it is because you are trying to plan too much and are unsure what is actually a priority. When you try to plan goals annually it is overwhelming trying to figure out what you should work on first.
#3 - Planning for 12 months at a time often causes us to move from project to project which means we never actually achieve any of our goals. Having plans for such a long timeframe prevents you from focusing on what is actually important in your business.
This is why you should be planning 90-days at a time:
#1 - When you break down your business and set goals for 90-days at a time it allows you to create doable plans. It is long enough to make progress, but short enough to stay focused.
#2 - Having 90-days goals will help you to have concrete steps to follow to actually achieve your goal. This means you will be able to prioritize what matters and then delegate or delete the meaningless tasks in your business.
#3 - When you set 90-day goals you can easily adapt to change. We all know how quickly social media changes and other aspects of business, so having a shorter timeframe allows you to pivot and adapt to the changes that happen in your industry.
If you need help setting goals check out my 90-day sprint planning here.
Setting goals is one of the most important things I have ever done to turn my hobby blog into a thriving business. If you are ready to achieve those big scary goals you have for your life and blog, then start setting goals today.
Download a copy of my Goal Setting Workbook for bloggers to help you get started today.
Leave a comment below and let me know one goal you want to accomplish in the next 90 days.