Why I'm setting broad goals for 2024

New year, new me!! Just kidding.

Jan 03, 2024

a scene from a recent cafe doodling session

It’s here. 2024!

I’ve tried a few different approaches to new year, new me goals: planning my year by quarters, setting specific goals (for example, getting five literary magazine acceptances a year) and skipping resolutions/goals entirely.

This year, I’m painting in broad strokes. One of my goals is just “more movement.” I’m a person that (surprise, surprise!) sits at her desk a lot. A LOT. One phrase I keep repeating is: “Move more often than not.” I actually know that’s not possible, since I need to be at my desk so many hours of the day, but playing the phrase in my head reminds me to get up, stretch, take a quick walk, plan a longer walk the next day, etc. etc.

So maybe your goals this year can be general, too. Maybe it’s not about hard and fast rules, or number-oriented goals. When it comes to literary magazine submissions, I know it’s a numbers game, often (the more you submit, the higher chances you have). I’ve also made goals like “get three new bylines in publications I’ve never written for,” so I can push myself to branch out. But media is (often) in a tough place, and things like layoffs and busy email inboxes are beyond my control. Tons of people submit to lit mags, and they’re often volunteer-run and only have so many slots to offer for published pieces.

Rather than thinking “ugh, I didn’t sent out X amount of applications,” I’m turning the volume down on critical self-talk this year. You know what? I’ve sent out A LOT of work in previous years. I’ve also just LIVED MY LIFE and written less than I wanted to during some months. I’ve taken breaks from submitting. I’ve gone from “I’m back to my draft, let’s keep going” to “this draft is terrible, I never want to see it again.”

So, I’m making more general goals this year. One of them is: revisit that one project you’ve been trying to get back into. If it doesn’t work out, that’s okay. But at least I opened up the possibility.

Some sample goals for your 2024:

Open a doc and name it BOOK PROPOSAL
Start reading the top book on your “to-be-read” pile
Begin working on that book proposal (!)
Sign up for a class or two in the next few months
Bookmark two opportunities you want to CONSIDER applying to
Make a calendar invite for a cafe date with yourself (or a friend) to do some writing
Pet a cat

In all seriousness, it’s all about at least dipping your toes into the creative water. You don’t have to meet every goal. You don’t have to write a masterpiece of a novel this year. You decide what you want the year to look like.

And in the midst of all that productive energy, make some room for joy.

In the meantime, I’m going to go get my laundry and count that as getting steps in.

What are your thoughts on goals for the new year? Hit REPLY to let me know!