How can we set and use scicomm goals so they lift us up instead of drag us down? We suggest: 

1. Clearly articulate your goals from the beginning of any scicomm project or whenever you have an inflection point in your career. 
2. Give yourself permission to give self-reflection the time, energy, and respect it needs to serve you well. 
3. Allow yourself to use your goals as a “living document” and recognize that your goals will change over time. That’s life, not failure. 

How to get started setting your own goals in just a few minutes: 

1. For 5 min: write down (in brief) all the goals you can think of, big or small, that you’re currently pursuing. 
2. For 5 min: write down why you are pursuing each goal. 

Knowing the why is adjacent to setting attainable, measurable goals and will set you up to productively work more on this later. 

*** Join this conversation: follow us here and say hello (we’d love to know your why!) on Twitter with @MeteorSciComm (https://www.twitter.com/meteorscicomm). 

Listen to the full episode for: 

• Why setting goals is essential for science communication project and career success, 
• How Virginia (https://www.virginiaschutte.com/) uses goal-setting to chart her freelance career, 
• What it’s like to set goals as a team, 
• How Bethann (https://commnatural.com/) uses goal-setting to strategically add opportunities to her academic workload, 
• How personal and professional goals can inform each other, and 
• When goals become a burden and what strategies we use to turn things around. 
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