The Parts & Pieces
Welcome to this week’s post in the mini-series: From Vision to Execution. I’m thrilled by the response that I’ve been getting on this topic. This 5-step process has worked wonders for me when I’m struggling to get things done.
Quick reminder of where we are in the mini-series. Catch up with an overview of the entire process by reading my blog called From Vision to Execution. Then read The Vision Thing and you’ll be completely up to speed.
Today’s focus is on step two which is what I like to call the Parts & Pieces. Let’s jump in.
Step 2: The Parts & Pieces.
This part of the process focuses on goals. I’d like you to identify your top 3 goals and let me give you a framework to help you. When diving into goal setting, using a framework is really helpful because you want your goals to be well defined and not vague. You need them to be SMART. This is a business framework that I used all the time in my corporate career to ensure that my team was working towards goals that we could measure. Here’s how it works.
· The S stands for specific
· The M stands for measurable
· The A stands for Achievable
· The R stands for Relevant
· The T stands for time-bound
Let’s use an example to bring this to life. Here are 3 goals I had when I was just starting to build my own business after getting laid off from my corporate job. My goals were:
1. Get my website up and running
2. Start to build my email list
3. Create weekly valuable content to share with my creative community
I turned these into SMART goals by adding more specificity to them using the SMART framework. Here’s the updated version of them:
1. Get my website up and running
a. Buy my URL (Anne LaFollette Art)
b. Select squarespace as my website hosting service
c. Pick a squarespace template to use
d. Upload my own images and copy into the template
e. Publish my first draft by X date
2. Start to build my email list
a. Sign up for Mailchimp’s free email service provider
b. Watch the training videos
c. Create a simple one-page PDF as a freebie to give to people who join my list
d. Create an opt-in and thank you page for the freebie
e. Post the link to the opt-in page on my website by X date
3. Create weekly valuable content to share with my creative community
a. Decide on a blog, podcast or video show – I decided to start with a blog
b. Pick the day of the week that I’ll write and publish it – I picked Wednesday
c. Write, upload and publish blog post by X date
d. Draft the email to my subscribers with a link to the blog post
e. Send email to subscribers
That’s a lot more granular detail, right? As you think through your goals, break them down into the parts and pieces by following the SMART formula and set deadlines for yourself. This will help you stay accountable and when we transition into Step 3: Key Assumptions next week, this level of detail will be very important.
I can’t wait to see your SMART goals. Share them with us inside Anne’s Art Club, our private Facebook group. Post them in the comments below this specific post (see image below).
Putting your SMART goals out into the world makes them real and allows us to encourage and support you.
Have fun and see you next week.
Remember,
It’s Never Too Late to Create
If you enjoyed this blog please share it with your friends and family. Click your favorite social platform below. And join my email list for weekly creative inspiration and an invitation to our private Facebook group, Anne’s Art Club.
MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation. I grew up in Paris on the Place St. Sulpice and walked to school through the Luxembourg gardens. And that was only the beginning… Learn more by watching the video on my About page.
