When you’re just starting out trying to earn online, setting goals is critical.

Anytime we start into a new project, it’s easy to get distracted with the sheer scope of everything we have to accomplish. To earn online, you need to learn so many techniques, set up a web site, write content, network, figure out affiliate marketing, CPM, CPA, PPC, etc.

It can be tough to figure out where to start and what to do first. Setting reasonable goals helps with this.

For example, let’s say that you know very little about working online from home, but you know that it’s something you want to try. So you set a goal, “I will pick a niche for a blog in 1 week”.

That might not be your first goal, but it’s a nice one in that it shows us the important characteristics of good goals.

Measurable — A good goal is something we can measure. “Pick a niche” is measurable, because I’ve either picked a niche or I haven’t. If I still have three possibilities, then I haven’t fulfilled the goal.

Has A Deadline — A good goal has a deadline. A deadline isn’t meant to stress you out, but it does give you a time frame in which to work. Many of us are motivated far more by deadlines than we are by our own benefit. We’ll procrastinate unless there’s a deadline associated with a task.

Is Doable — “Solve world hunger in a week” might be measurable and has a deadline, but it isn’t doable. A doable goal should be something that can be accomplished by the deadline, and is a relatively small piece of an overall longer-term goal.

We all have the longer-term goal of “working from home”, but breaking that up into smaller goals that are measurable, deadline based, and doable is what helps us to actually make progress.

What are some of your goals?

Tags: setting goals

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