Please do not cringe.  Setting goals is merely a tool to help you get what you want.  Instead of wondering where all the time went on Christmas morning, your projects will be complete, wrapped and all you will have to do is just hand them to your recipient. 

To set goals, you have to know what you want, but that is just the beginning and probably why folks have given up on setting goals.  So here’s the process — know what you want, know when you want it and plan how you are going to get there.

1. Know what you want.  How many quilts do you want to complete?  Let’s say you want to give more quilts to charity this year.  You have to be specific.  How many quilts?  On the off-chance you say that you want to donate a quilt a month.  OK.  That is your goal.  It has been quantifiable. 

2. Know When You Want It.  What is your deadline?  Without a deadline there is no goal. In our example, we’re using a charity quilt a month, so your deadline is the end of the month.  OK.  That will give us 30 days.  Great.

3. Know Your Resources.  How much money and time can you spend on this quilt?  Knowing this will determine the pattern and whether you can afford to make a trip to the quilt shop or if you will be selecting fabric from your stash.

4. Weekly Goals.  This is where it really gest fun.  This is our plan.  We break our big monthly goal into weekly goals.  Let’s say that by the end of the first week, we want our pattern selected, material selected and fabric cut.  Second week is our pieced top.  Third week’s goal is quilting and fourth week’s goal is binding.

5. Daily Goals. This is where the rubber meets the road.  If you do not have daily goals, you will not stay on track.  You take a look at your weekly goal.  Then you plan what you will do each day with the time you have.  Schedule your time.

6. Weekly Review. Each week review where you are.  If you are ahead of schedule, Great!  Readjust your schedule to push ahead.  Chances are if you have free time now that means something is coming up that will need more attention in the near future.  If you are behind, readjust.  Do you need to choose another pattern, perhaps finish up an unifinished project to complete this goal or kick yourself into high gear?

7. Reward Yourself. When you are on track, reward yourself.  It could be a bubble bath or time to sit down and read your favorite book.  Acknowledge that you are on your way to completing your task and celebrate!

By simply setting goals, you’ll finish more projects quicker.  In the end, isn’t that what we all want anyway?