Housewife MacGyver: Further commitment

Thanks so much to all of you who have committed yourselves! And do you want to know something crazy? I, the person who thinks twice about every word out of my mouth (or my fingers, as the case may be), never realized the double entendre (dual meaning, in case you don't Frenchie-speak) of being committed. I was so focused on setting goals and making them happen than I never thought about the whole straitjacket commitment thing:

original image from istockphoto

And if Andi at Jane of All Crafts hadn't mentioned the second meaning... I probably never would have gotten it! Tunnel vision, anyone?

Anyway... back to the whole commitment thing...

Commitment is the first step. People with fantastic willpower and motivation and generally those people who just get things done can probably just go into auto-pilot after the commitment step.

Me, I'm not one of those people. I come up with things to do all the time. Good things, most of them. But most of them go undone because... well, there's loads of reasons. I run out of steam. I forget. I find a newer, younger and better looking, more interesting project.

So, I've decided to make my goals (goals sound more motivating than commitments, no?) stick, or at least give them the best chance possible, by making my goals smart:

Specific (what, why, and how)
Measurable (showing progress, setting mini-goals)
Attainable (doable)
Realistic (doable for YOU)
Timely (on a schedule)

Check out the Goal Setting Guide here to learn more about each of these criterion and how to use them as guides in making your own goals. I'll share a couple more of my commitments next week (once I've made them smart enough for your viewing pleasure), but here's how I've applied the smart principles to my current commitment:

Commitment: I will use my fantastic apple-print oilcloth to make a seat cover for my son's high chair.

Specific: What - high chair cover; Why - because it needs to happen; How - using my sewing machine and natural talent (ha! I made a joke ;)

Measurable: Well, either it will get done or it won't. That's pretty measurable. But step one will be figuring out how to sew with oilcloth. Any pointers? Right now it's very creased from being folded up and stored for 6 months...

Attainable: This is a COMPLETELY attainable goal. It should be an easy project, plus I have the materials, the old cover to use as a pattern, the sewing machine, and the aforementioned natural talent (ha! still funny). I just have to find the motivation and the stick-to-it-iveness to see it through.

Realistic: Similar to attainable, this goal is realistic -- for ME. I've sewn before, just never with oilcloth -- so this project will be a stretch and I'll learn some new skills, but I won't have to start from scratch. 

Timely: I've given myself a deadline to have the chair cover done by the end of the month. I've also given myself two intermediate goals: pull apart the other cover (to use as a pattern) by the end of this week, and cut out the oilcloth pieces by the end of next week.

On top of that, I have the oilcloth sitting on top of my sewing machine taunting me -- daily reminders are one of the most important factors in keeping me motivated and going. :)
 
So, if you haven't already, write down your goal (or otherwise commit, whatever works for you) and evaluate your goal to see if it's smart.

I mean, we have smart cars and smart phones, so our goals should be at least as smart, right?