Creative goals for the new year . . .
Do you set intentions for the year? What about resolutions? Instead of jotting down a few stereotypical hopes and dreams for the months ahead, I’ve come up with five creative goals I want to accomplish. They’re centered around learning new-to-me skills and implementing everyday strategies that’ll help grow my small business. (In case you missed it, I also have a shop on Etsy + a collection of home decor.) I’ve broken everything down into actionable steps so you can pick one or try to tackle them all. Here’s exactly how I’ll be ‘leveling up’ this year.
Schedule Time for Brainstorming
I’ve started making time to jot down all the things in my head. Set a timer because I’m talking 10 minutes max. It’s a free-flowing brain dump that puts my pen to paper. After my first round scribbles, I go back through and pick out the most important or time sensitive thoughts. I also circle any ideas I want to brainstorm about the next day.
Pro-tip: I highly recommend keeping all your brainstorming sessions in a designated notebook. Be sure to date each page, too. This makes referencing and looking back a lot easier. I love using this brand of notebooks. They’re as classic as they come.
Automate As Much As Possible
Time management is one of my biggest hurdles. I’m constantly juggling stay-at-home mom duties, household responsibilities and the growing to-do list for Finding Beautiful Truth. First, let me remind you that there’s NO WAY to do it all. And that’s ok. You don’t have to do it all. It is, however, important to pick and choose where you physically spend your time. If it were up to me, I’d prefer to spend it creating.
Thankfully, we live in a digital age where you can automate as much as possible. You can set bills and payroll to auto-pay, schedule social media posts ahead of time, generate more sales with product + shopping reminders and automatically offer free content to new email subscribers. Possibilities are endless, and you can tweak your strategy based on your business needs.
Psst! I have been using Tailwind to schedule Pinterest content for the past year. This was my best investment in 2019. Pinterest is now my greatest source of traffic and sales. Want to try it out? You can get your 1st month FREE by signing up through this referral link here.
Take a Class to Further Business Education
Let me be the first to admit that I have yet to learn how to properly create an Excel spreadsheet. This is something I want to learn. This FREE Excel courses is a great place to start. My list of business education also includes learning the basics of Google Ads, a deep dive into SEO, furthering my Pinterest strategy and really learning the ins and outs of selling on Etsy. If you’re interested, you can find some helpful resources below.
Google Ads Masterclass via Skillshare
Pinterest Business Webinars via YouTube
Etsy Seller Courses (between $10-20)
17 Free Online Digital Marketing Courses
Build Your Digital Brand Class ($17)
Develop a New Creative Skill
I’d love to learn how to illustrate using Adobe Illustrator. Luckily, Brit & Co has classes for that–their collection of courses offers something for everyone. You’ll find videos teaching skills like cake + cookie decorating, hand lettering, photography, logo design, weaving and floral arranging.
The initial investment may take longer to come to fruition, but these skills can inch you closer to tackling a longterm goal. Take me and my illustration aspirations or example. I’d be one step closer to achieving my BIGGEST creative goal yet. I want to write, illustrate and publish a series of toddler board books. You’ve gotta start somewhere.
Start or End Each Week with a Recap
You don’t need to designate a lot of time to a weekly recap, but it is extremely important in my mind. It goes hand in hand with my daily brainstorming sessions because it helps me assess where I am and where I want to be. This is a great time to ask yourself questions about successful tasks, failed projects, unexpected hurdles or areas to improve. Be positive yet honest. These recaps can and will help your business grow!
Have you set your own creative goals, intentions or resolutions for the new year?
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