After all the hard work, inspiration and fun we’ve had during the 30 Day Studio Refresh today it’s time to take stock. As we close in on the final stretch to home we don’t want to lose the wonderful momentum we’ve gained this month. Let’s set some studio goals.
Setting goals is an important way to keep your work life balance in check. Goals don’t always need to push you to your limits. Your studio goals don’t even need to be all about your studio – today is about setting goals for your business and your life in general.
When your whole life is in balance your studio will run better.
I regularly set, revisit and reset studio goals myself. One of the main reasons I do this is to feel sane. Remember that overwhelm we talked about on Day 18? It’s much easier to beat the overwhelm when you have realistic, specific goals and you know you’re following your plan.
Take the time today to set yourself some studio goals inspired by everything we’ve done in the 30 Day Studio Refresh. I think you’ll get a lot out of the process.
Goal Setting
When you’re a music studio teacher, work and home life tend to bleed together. In fact they might happen in the exact same living room.
While I think it’s important to separate business and life and create boundaries, it’s also good to embrace this intertwining when setting goals. As a self-employed person or studio business owner it’s not always going to be possible to segment your life.
As you’re setting your objectives for the coming year, think about your life goals too. The different aspects of you and your business need to complement and balance each other out. Let this be reflected in the scope of the intentions you set today.
SMART Goals
You may have heard this acronym before but it bears repeating.
- Specific – Wishy washy goals are not good for your business or your job satisfaction levels. Make sure each studio objective you set is exact and clear-cut.
- Measurable – You need to be able to measure your goal. This usually means involving a number, whether it’s monetary, amount of time, or number of students.
- Actionable – If you can’t do something about your goal it’s no good to you. Actionable goals are things you can do.
- Realistic – Don’t just write down random pie-in-the-sky studio goals. It needs to be possible to achieve your goals (to the best of your knowledge) or you’re setting yourself up for failure.
- Time-bound – Give yourself deadlines and end dates for each of your studio goals. You should know when it’s time to look back and see if you achieved your target.
Goals that are SMART are more likely to get done. You’re also more likely to know they’re done and get the chance to celebrate. 🙂
Action Steps
- Take stock of any notes, worksheets and brainstorms you’ve completed during the past 28 days.
- Download the Studio Goal Setting pdf or get out a big blank sheet of paper.
- Grab a cup of coffee and get to goal setting.
Do you regularly set studio goals?
Have you used the SMART formula to check your goals before? What goals immediately spring to mind when you think about today’s challenge?
I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts on goals, targets and objectives in the Vibrant Music Studio Teachers group on Facebook or in the comments below.
Vibrant Music Teaching members, you can access this resource inside the VMT library. Not a member yet? Find out more about becoming a member here.
Did you miss any of the posts in the 30 Day Studio Refresh? Check them out by clicking here.