Why I Switched to Weekly Income Goals
One small change helped me to earn more money, work harder, and even enjoy what I do.
Once I became a freelancer/entrepreneur, I faced a whole slew of lifestyle changes. Motivation was a huge issue that kept me awake at night and sluggish throughout the day. This one change actually bolstered my growth, and it was mostly due to my mindset.
I started focusing on weekly income goals, rather than monthly income goals.
As a corporate employee, my income was fixed, with rare bonuses from overtime work. I knew exactly how much I’d make each week, so I’d jump to the monthly income expectation to make things simpler. I budgeted my entire life out based on this paycheck.
As an entrepreneur, though, my income is not fixed, and it’s difficult to gauge how much I’ll make per day, per week, per month, and per year. Things were always up in the air, and I couldn’t accurately gauge my expected income. One month was way too long to take into consideration. One year was out of the question.
One technique I found was to look at things on a daily level. $100 per day was completely doable. $200 per day was great, too. $300 per day was a stretch, but reachable. Anything beyond was not in my current line of sight, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it. After working in this manner for a period of time, I found myself exhausted and wanted an escape.
A weekly goal seemed most fitting to me because it gave me some “wiggle room” with my work schedule. I was no longer locked down into a set routine in order to reach that coveted daily income goal, which gave me time to rest and relax or to hang out with friends.
I set my weekly income goal to $1,000 a week, which comes out to about $4,000 a month. This would pay all of my bills and give me breathing room for emergencies. I would have enough to sock away for the upcoming business expenses, as well. I could even splurge on family birthdays and gatherings.
Some days, I would make $100. Other days, I’d hit $200. Still other days, I’d make $0. The days were variable, but the weekly goal was still there, and it made me happy to have that variability. I took breaks whenever I felt the need to do so, and didn’t feel so bad about it.
I hope this article helped to inspire you with your own income goals.
