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Discipline Guards Against Distraction Howdy -- I’m Kyle Bondo, and this is Podfader! My weekly podcast for helping you survive the day-to-day struggle that comes with keeping a podcast going. S1:E11 -- What does it mean to commit? TL:DR - Committing to your podcast requires you get disciplined about your goals if you have any chance of guarding against distractions. What it means to commit to your podcast Introduction to SMART Goals Big Podcasting Goals to consider Bubble Prioritization And now you know About the show Step Five of the Nine Steps Back to Podcasting is Commit. When it comes to your podcast, what is your commitment to that podcast? Is it a hobby that can ebb and flow on a whim? Or is it a tool within your marketing strategy that needs to run like a German Train Schedule? The difference depends entirely on your drive to see your podcast success. If you want this to work -- really work -- then you need to develop the discipline to see it through. So what does that mean when it comes to keeping your podcast going? You need to make a commitment to yourself and to your listeners that YOU will give your podcast a specific amount of time: Every day, every week, and every month -- for a specific length of time -- measured in the number of episodes or number of years. Whichever comes first. The idea is to become dedicated to your podcasts production, and disciplined enough to execute that production. And you do this until you reach your milestone: the time you gave yourself before you would take the next hard look at what you had built, and what would come next. If you think about the first four steps of the Nine Steps Back to Podcasting, you’ve already decided your podcast is worth working on. You have also become honest with yourself about what you need to fix based on real feedback. Finally, you’ve started to prioritize your Need to Fix issues. Now it is time to declare timeframe for when you will have fixes completed. Introduction to SMART GoalsThen it’s time to take those rough goals and turn them into SMART goals. Here is a quick guide to making sure you write down goals that actually mean something: S – Specific: Make each goal crispy, not mushy. Example: Produce one episode of my podcast every week. M – Measurable: Make each goal quantifiable so you know if you accomplished it or not. Example: I will release my podcast episodes every week on Monday at 9 AM. A – Actionable: Make each goal start with an action verb. Example: Run, finish, produce, direct, plan, promote, earn, etc. R – Realistic: Make each goal use common sense, but if you’re not out of your comfort zone, it’s not big enough. Example: I will produce 26 episodes this year. T – Time-bound: Make each goal have a deadline. Example: I will launch my new podcast on September 1st, 2018. Big Podcasting Goals to ConsiderIf you don’t know what you should fix, or your Need to have and Nice to have listed is still a bit fuzzy, consider the following goals: #1 – Growth Planning: This is where you see your podcast promotion going in the next year, and possibly in the next three years. Example: The number of episodes you want to promote above the following year. #2 – Podcast Offerings: Decide if you current podcast is the kind of podcast you plan on offering your listeners. Example: This would include what message or niche your podcast you will focus on. #3 – Financial Targets: These are the financial numbers you need to hit to make a profit with your podcast. Example: This would include monetization goals that reflect your break-even point, profit margins, and sales goals. Bubble PrioritizationBy forcing the MOST IMPORTANT goals to the surface is like forcing your divers to come up for air. The diver that needs it the most go to the surface first. The process is simple. First, compare the first two goals on your list. Of those two goals, decide which is more important to be accomplished now rather than later. The one that you pick is now #1. Compare that #1 goal with the NEXT GOAL on your list. Repeat your decision. Out of these two goals, which is more important? Either you continue to support your decision that #1 is still #1, or the new goal replaces it and become the new #1. Continue to do this until you have firmly established which goal is #1. Leave #1 alone and focus on the remain list by moving to goal #2. Repeat the same process with all the goals below #2 the same way you did with deciding goal #1. You can end this loop when: You've prioritized the entire list Only decided the Top 2 or Top 3 Now your goals are prioritized. The Five Principles By leveraging our five (5) Goal Setting Principles as follows: #1 – Thinking SMART — Visualizing and creating goals that will provide value when completed. #2 – Writing Them Down — Writing your goals down will improve your chances of accomplishing them. #3 – Keeping Them Simple — Don’t complicate your life by setting more goals than you can manage. #4 – Dedicating to Them Daily — Placing them somewhere you can read them every day will also improve your chances of accomplishing them. #5 – Sharing Them Strategically — Only share your goals with those people you feel are committed to helping you accomplish each one. Setting goals are extremely important in keeping yourself focused throughout the year. It will also provide you with meaning and a sense of accomplishment as you move closer to completing each one. Stop wandering through the forest without a map and compass. Your annual goals ARE your map and compass. Make this year the first of many goal-oriented years to come! And now you know. About the ShowPodfader, hosted by Kyle Bondo, focuses on helping you survive the day-to-day struggle that comes with keeping a podcast going. If you’re a struggling podcaster, Podfader will be your sanctuary to get you through the messy middle of any podcasting strategy. Stop fading and start casting! Learn more at Podfader.com Presented by Gagglepod.com