Have you achieved your goals this year? Even if you’ve fallen behind these past weeks and months, now is the perfect time to take steps to achieve them.

Maybe you want to achieve one of these goals:

• Finishing your album
• Completing your new song
• Getting that website up and running
• Taking your instrument mastery to new heights
• Lose the extra weight you gained to get in shape for touring
• Improve your finances
• Re-evaluate your Music Career goals
• Personal development
• Improve your Health and diet
• Get fit
• Focus on Stress management
• Improve your personal relationships

Did you know that within 6 months of making New Year’s Resolutions, 60% will have completely forgotten all about their resolutions? So even though it’s mid-year, if you haven’t made a dent in your list of things you want to accomplish, don’t worry about it! Get started now. Take action day-by-day on your goals. Here at Skonnie Music, we have a carefully planned list of goals, and this is the system we use.

Put some thought now into accomplishing your goals. Here are our top 5 tips to achieving anything you set your mind to. It’s easy with a little planning:

What Motivates you?

There are 2 types of motivation:

• Internal – this means your motivation comes from inside. You want your next album to be technically or creatively better than the last. You have an internal measuring system for yourself.
• External – you’re pushed forward by actions outside your personal scope. You are motivated to achieve your goals because your band mates are counting on you, and you work harder when others around you hold you accountable.

Once you figure out your motivation type is, then you can put yourself in situations that make you more excited to accomplish even more.

Actions make dreams a reality

Deciding on a goal is always easier said than done. If you want to accomplish your goals, it’s wise to break each step down into smaller components to make them more manageable.

Each time you achieve one of your goals, reward yourself and acknowledge what you’ve accomplished. Positive reinforcement is important to help motivate you as you push toward achieving your goals.

One popular way to achieve goals is using the SMART system:

• Specific. Having a specific end result prevents you from making excuses.
• Measurable. Evaluating your progress will keep you on track.
• Achievable. Setting daily goals helps to keep bigger goals manageable.
• Relevant. It’s important to stick to the goal and not veer off on bunny trails.
• Time-bound. Setting targeted completion dates prevents procrastination.

Create carefully thought-out, prioritized goals

The more realistic your resolutions, the more likely you’ll see them through. If your goal for this year is to release your new album, then plan the album by songs or topic. Set projected deadlines for completion of each part of the album. Have mini-deadlines and then an overall project completion date.

You’ll find that, as with all goals, as soon as you start seeing what you’ve accomplished, you’ll become motivated to do even more. Avoid the all-or-nothing approach. Doing something, even if it’s a small piece of what you’d originally planned, is much better and more productive than doing nothing at all.

It’s equally important to not make too many resolutions at once. It can be easy to get caught up in the excitement of creating goals, but if you’re unrealistic, you’ll quickly give up. Make a list, prioritize your goals based on importance, and go from there. Once the first one is completed, cross it off your list and go for the second, and so on. Focusing on one goal at a time will focus your energy and efforts there, helping you complete all your goals faster.

Set yourself up to succeed

Having a positive mindset is key when progressing towards your goals. Be smart and anticipate obstacles so that when they do appear, you’re prepared.

For example, if you’re composing and the song is not progressing, rehearse other songs, play gigs, listen to new music, or practice so you’re accomplishing something. If your motivation method is external, share your progress with your band. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a targeted deadline. Get back to working on your goal as quickly as possible.

Hold yourself accountable

Accountability means you’re taking responsibility for the choices you’re making. This may seem easy when you have a day job deadline and your boss hounds you until you complete your work. It may not seem as easy when you don’t have specific deadlines for a music project or album, or other similar goals. You may find it helps to discuss projected completion dates for your album or projects with your band members or a significant other in your life, or you may want to keep a journal to chart your progress.

Taking these steps will help you to actually achieve your goals. Following these 5 guidelines will set you up for successfully accomplishing your goals and achieving more than you imagined possible.