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Goal setting should be common sense; if you don’t have a goal, you have nothing to aim for and nothing to celebrate. For many years I wanted to be a world famous DJ and live out of a suitcase, clocking up frequent flyer miles and being a life member of an airport lounge. Rather than breaking up my end goal into smaller, obtainable targets, I was focused on the bigger picture. For example, I would need to develop unique skills, such as turntablism, while putting on an entertaining show that would draw bigger crowds each week, I would then need to push for becoming a support/warmup DJ for touring artists, find management... the list goes on and on.

It’s safe to say, I didn’t become a superstar DJ and tour the world. My priorities changed, I got a little older, and the idea of living out of a suitcase for countless nights, no longer held my interest.

I eventually got into producing electronic music with a good buddy of mine and realized that I wanted to focus my energy on creating and releasing music.

I wrote myself a new set of goals on the back of a scrap of paper. This time, I was more prepared. I set smaller, more realistic goals that would help me reach my end goal of becoming a producer. After one year the piece of paper was dirty, smelt terrible and could have been translated into digital form. Despite it all, I held onto it because it helped keep me accountable. I knew I wasn’t going to recycle that piece of paper until every goal was crossed out. I don’t have that piece of paper anymore as these goals have since been hit, but here is what it had scribbled on it:

 Release a full length album of music. 60 minutes minimum

 Collaborate with a talented vocalist

 Release a physical CD

 Play a headline show

These goals were all met; then new goals were created. It’s important to always feel like you are accomplishing something, even if something like “have a top 100 song on Beatport” seems unachievable, write it down. When you cross a goal off your list, take a moment to celebrate, then get right back to grinding and working on the next one.

The next set of goals I created led me to where I am today:

 Work out how Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming services work, become as close to a guru as possible

 Make strong contacts that curate large playlists

 Get featured on a Spotify editorial playlist

 Create my own playlist brand

 Make a living from music, whether it’s producing, releasing, pitching, or a combination of things.

 Speak at numerous music industry conferences

Tip: Break your time up into blocks to allow 100% of your focus on a specific task. You’ll find that by giving all of your focus to that one task it will be most likely be completed sooner. Use this spare time to stand up, take a quick walk, then come back and focus your attention on the next task.

How did I tick these goals off? How can you do the same? Follow the instructions in this book and you will be well on your way.