Last week I wrote about exploring what I had learned last year as a starting point for identifying goals. Having had a good rummage around in the empty space between my ears I’ve come up with a few for 2016. I’ll be using the SMART formula to make sure I have the best chance of succeeding and I’m also making myself accountable for my creative goals by sharing them on my blog. However, I’m not so vain to think that if I publically commit to knitting a dozen sets of fair isle leg warmers for Mr Hicks, everyone will remember or chase me up on it.
However, committing publicly should help me achieve my goals because:
- Other knowing makes us think harder about our goals and if we really want to commit to them.
- Knowing others may remember makes it harder to sneak out of working on a goal, because none of us want to be thought a failure.
- Having others on our side can provide us with encouragement when we wobble, praise when we succeed and advice when we get stuck.
- Declaring we’ll do something publically makes it feel more important.
So here are my thirteen creative goals (so far) for 2016:
- 85% of my yarn purchases will be 100% British wool – I’m not committing to 100% of purchases, because it’s pointless knitting with wool for daughters who will chuck it in the washing machine and shrink it first wash.
- Only buy yarn when I know what I’m going to use it for.
3. Think thoroughly before I take on any new project.
4. Attend at least two workshops
5. Learn 6 new ways to knit a sock by knitting six different pairs of socks.
6. Post at least six patterns on Ravelry – I’m dreadful at making up a pattern and knitting it, but not sharing because I never get round to writing the pattern up properly.
7. Experiment/learn something new each month.
8. Learn more about dyeing wool with plants and other natural products
9. Crochet regularly – I’ve joined a BAM CAL to help me achieve this.
10. Make something for Christmas each month.
11. Eliminate the UFO pile.
12. Each weekend, when we’re not away or have visitors, I will make/do something for the house or garden.
13. Knit Lovely Husband a Christmas Jumper – this can count as one of my monthly Christmas makes, although it will probably span more than a month.
I’m off now to write all these down in a way that fits the SMART model. Do you have any tricks or tips to making yourself stick to your goals?
What a lovely set of goals 🙂 No advice, I’m afraid- I fell apart when I made myself keep the same number of projects, and moved over to the one little word school of thought 🙂
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Thank you. I do see stating my goals as being equally important for motivating me to achieve and for learning what I don’t really want to achieve or I need to approach a different way. Without recording what we thought we wanted to do at the beginning of the year, what drops by the wayside can easily get forgotten rather than learned from.
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Great goals, but no sewing ones?!?!?! I’ll keep a look though and I’ll be pleasantly surprised if any pops up throughout the year. Or maybe it could be included in the Christmas one, which is a really good idea. Good luck with them 🍀🍀🍀🍀
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Hello! Yes, not overtly, but there are definitely sewing goals in there. The Christmas goal has lots of sewing plans in it and soft furnishings for the house goal and creative exploration/experimentation includes it, not to mention the UFO pile definitely has at least a quilt block waiting to be turned into a cushion in it 🙂
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Okay I believe you, but I was looks no for something like ‘make a frock!!’ 😂
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Although I did fall off my chair laughing at that comment, between you and me, I did buy some fabric for a tunic/dress last year, but I have a significant amount of weight to lose before I start making frocks. And when I do, don’t expect me to have the patience to make muslins or anything like that.
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Fantastic goals Bekki! How about a monthly review of how you are getting on? It would be interesting for us and help keep you accountable 🙂 WE are cheering you right on! x
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Hi Sharon, Thanks for the encouragement. I was thinking about reviews. I think I’ll blog makes as I go along then maybe have a three monthly round up, so I don’t bore the pants off everyone. x
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Holy moly, go you! What a powerhouse! Looking forward to seeing you smash through your goals this year 😀 🎉🎈🎇
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Ha! Haven’t done any of them yet and some only need willpower to resist purchasing. But thanks for the faith in me 🙂
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Great goal list – good luck for 2016 🙂
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Thank you! 🙂
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I’m having enough trouble sticking to my year long fabric fast to promise anything else but, I must admit, the thought of having to admit failure on my blog is partly what keeps me out of the fabric shops.
I can assure you that, if you commit to knitting a dozen pair of legwarmers for Mr. Hicks, I at least will remember and chase you up on it. Especially if they’re going to be fair isle. It would be a sight too good to miss.
Good luck with all your goals but don’t beat yourself up about it if you don’t manage to achieve them all or stress yourself out worrying about any of them too much. That way madness lies.
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Thank you. No worries about the madness, I’ll be (over)analysing anything I don’t achieve and taking some magnificent learnings from it! 🙂 And yes, we’re watching you with the fabric fast. But no, the leg warmers definitely won’t be happening.,
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Great Advice about goal setting, you are an inspiration, not just for generously sharing the process, but that you are a good example and you deliver what you set out to achieve.
The British Wool is a great way to support our wool producers and I am the same about writing and sharing patterns, I struggle to write the pattern down as I am making, mostly because I change my mind!
Good luck.. x and Happy 2016, may it bring you many blessings x
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Thank you. Glad I’m not alone about failing to share patterns. I do change my mind, but I also know it’s about not being bothered to do the maths to work out the other sizes. Also about confidence, not in my abilities, but in because of that gremlin that says, ‘Who are you to post patterns? Who’d be interested in them?’ Thank you for inspiring that line of thought, I’d better go have a word with that gremlin.
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I am reading creative magic she talks about fear being a constant companion and that we need to get it under control. I keep taking one step forward and five back!
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Oh no! Hopefully more steps forward that back this year. Fear is a natural keeping us safe mechanism, but absolutely right it needs to be kept under control – so this goal is definitely about working on that.
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Great list of goals Bekki. I thing I really want to do this year is knit, crochet and spin from stash before I buy anything else.
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Good for you. I look forward to seeing the results 🙂
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Those are really cool 🙂 any links to decent British yarn would be very much welcomed. I really don’t know any! Good luck x
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Thank you. Try looking here for all sorts of British wool products, including yarn http://www.woolsack.org/BWStockists
Although be careful each listing has at least one 100% British wool product, but other products are British wool mixed with other fibres.
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Thanks 🙂
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Great goals! We use SMART for our development plans at work. I never thought to use them for goals for the year at home 🙂 I try not to make any at all; however should probably put something to paper. Good luck on achieving everything!
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There’s some years I don’t make any goals at all. I also think this sort of thing suits some and not others. Good luck if you decide to write any down.
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Great list of Goals Bekki! Love it and lots of support here! I look forward to your updates 🙂
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Thank you for all your encouragement. Good to know you’re there 🙂
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Great goals Bekki – I’m sure you can achieve all this and more! Look forward to seeing the work roll out!
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Thank you 🙂
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Best of luck with the goals! Looks like a well-thought out list. I like your approach of making one Christmas gift each month. If you stick with that one goal alone, your year will have been a creative success! Look forward to hearing how things go. 🙂
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Thank you. I was so disappointed that I didn’t get round to making more for Christmas this year, I thought this would be a good way to tackle it.
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I am genuinely hoping that Mr. Hicks does get some leg warmers! Good luck with everything for 2016!
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Oh please don’t, can you imagine how quickly he’d make them filthy?
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Good set of goals. I didn’t know there were 6 ways of knit socks ! I would add review regularly, as a way to achieving goals. Then plan, they don’t happen by themselves! Good luck.
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Oh yes, lots of ways to turn a heel, make toes, knit from either end too! As for reviews, oh yes, you have to keep an eye those pesky goals 🙂
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Goals are great to declare publicly and they would definitely spur me on. Let’s face it, if I hadn’t committed to blog monthly for Minerva Crafts, I would probably have worn last year’s ball gown instead of starting one two days before the party! Good luck, but don’t beat yourself up if you don’t achieve them all.
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Thank you and no worries, I’m as happy for some of these goal to be ‘learning experiences’ if that’s the way they turn out. Although the public disclosure will still spur me on, so that’s not making excuses before I start.
Can’t wait to see the ball gown properly – or have you posted this week? – I’m a wee bit behind 😦
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Yes, ball gown has been blogged:)
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Lovely! Still not got there, but I will. 🙂
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What a lovely set of goals,I like lists so I write my goals down and have them in several different places to remind me to stick to them as nothing beats crossing something off when you have completed it !!!
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Go you! I love lists too 🙂
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I should probably commit to something like this. My knitting has become sadly neglected recently – and the stupidly warm winter hasn’t helped! I need something to kick-start me again though.
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Hi Mary. Good to hear from you. Oh yes, try giving yourself a kick start. Mind, you might just be in a place where you need to go gentle on yourself and not push yourself too?
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The chaos of recent weeks is hopefully settling down and easy, achievable goals seems like a good way to get going again – and better than just slumping on the sofa all evening!
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Good set of goals, Bekki, although I think you’ll be hard pushed to keep to No.2.:) I can’t give any advice about keeping to goals, as I’m pretty useless at keeping them myself. I do think having others ‘in on them’ is something, though. It’s similar to what you once said to me about the motivation of many self-published authors compared to those working to a deadline for a publisher. When the demand is clearly set, we have no time for procrastination.
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Thank you. Yes, number two may not be easy.
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