Goals for 2023

I like setting goals, but I don’t always accomplish them. It’s partly because I enjoy the journey as much as the destination, and partly because I get distracted. Today I read a message from Atomic Habits author James Clear that said “Where do I want to be in 10 years? What can I do in the next 5 minutes to contribute to that outcome?”

It respects my interests in setting goals and in enjoying the journey.

After reading his book last winter, I decided that I would finally nail fluency in French. I have been learning French for years, and with a not-too-big push, I should be able to chat up most people and read a book. My five-minute action was to download Duolingo to refresh what I already know and began using the app every day.

Then this spring, we adopted a puppy and my goals changed: teaching the puppy to pee outside, to sit and stay, to play tug-of-war nicely, and to come when called.

Now, at nine months old, he is more like a regular dog and while I still have dog training goals (walking off lead), I’m working again on my French language skills.

But where I want to be in 2033? I will need dozens of five-minute actions to figure that out.

Until then, I plan to improve my ability to test texts with users to ensure my writing meets their needs. My five-minute action is to watch videos from Nielsen Norman Group and to sign up a course from Kate Harrison Whiteside at Plain Language Academy called Focus on Feedback, which is right on point.

What are your learning goals for this year or decade? If they include making your non-fiction writing more readable, a five-minute action you could take is to visit www.plainlanguageacademy.com to see if an online course could help you. I teach two: Editing for Plainer Legal Writing beginning March 6 and Editing for Plainer Technical Writing beginning March 13. I will also launch Editing for Plainer Government Writing this spring. I would love to see you in one of these courses.

Good luck in 2023, and happy learning!