Auckland artist and musician Claire Cowan describes herself as a big list-maker. “Sometimes I make a list of lists I’m going to make.”

She says without goals you end up going around in circles. “I could compare it to shopping at the supermarket without a list...I tend to buy whatever jumps out at me instead of what I actually need.”

In this Generator QnA Claire shares how her approach to setting goals has progressed from ‘massive lists’, to quarterly goals and now just one goal a year.

“This year my goal is 'do less, but do it better.' So I've had a year of saying no to a lot of things I might have previously said yes to, it's certainly helped focus in on the things I really want to be spending my time on.”

Claire has recently returned from New York where she spent six months working on various musical and artistic projects. Classically trained, her passion for theatrical and filmic collaboration has led her to working in many diverse styles.

As a concert music composer she has been commissioned and her music performed throughout NZ, Australia, the UK, Japan, Germany and USA. She has scored numerous documentaries, short films and commercials. Also a cellist, she performs in various bands including the Parias ensemble of New York, the alt-country band 'Toad' of Auckland, and is director of the Blackbird Ensemble NZ.

As an illustrator, Claire established 'The Anti-fashion League' in 2007, which launched her range of screen printed garments and stationery. Early in 2009 she co-founded 'The Society of Brilliant Ideas' artist's collective in Auckland's CBD where she has her creative studio and collaboration space.

How relevant is setting goals to your business success?

100 per cent relevant. If you have no goal, where can you go but in circles.. I could compare it to shopping at the supermarket without a list.. I tend to buy whatever jumps out at me instead of what I actually need.

If goals were a person, how would you describe your relationship to them?

Love/hate? They're a being you've created out of your own desire to achieve. They're always there, hovering around, sitting in the back seat of the car when you decide to go to the beach instead of going to work.. They're quite easy to ignore when it suits - and they don't say anything, they just give you that doe-eyed look that says: 'I thought I was what you wanted?'

Was goal setting something you were taught growing up – what did you learn?

I think it wasn't really something I was taught, but through my own self expectations to achieve my best, I had to set goals that I wanted to achieve.

I was inspired by my sister who used to make lists each school holidays of all the art and crafts things she wanted to make and do with her two weeks off.

We're both now big list-makers..sometimes I make a list of lists I’m going to make. I make sure I have list paper within arms reach everywhere I work.

What have you had to learn about goal setting as an adult?

I used to make a massive list of things in the New Year I wanted to achieve. I'd put it in the drawer and look at it a few times throughout the year. Occasionally I'd be able to cross off a few things that I'd done.

Then I started making quarterly goals, with a chance to reassess progress throughout the year. This worked quite well, but was slightly too complicated to keep up.

So now I just create one goal a year. This year my goal is 'Do less, but do it better.' So I've had a year of saying no to a lot of things I might have previously said yes to, it's certainly helped focus in on the things I really want to be spending my time on.

Can you give us a brief overview of how you choose a goal and follow through on it?

* Firstly I think long and hard about what I really enjoy, what I'd really like to do, or what I'd really like to change about my situation.

* Then I try and put it into a short sentence.

* Then I think about all the assets, contacts and knowledge I have already that I can use to help me.

* Then I try to take away the things that are getting in the way of me achieving the goal, whether it be other obligations or commitments, my location etc. It's quite good at this stage to recognize and acknowledge any psychological barriers that might be standing in the way, and talk them through with some people I trust.

* At this stage I'd break it into chunks of digestible steps to achieve the goal. If I am not sure what the steps might be I try and seek advice from experienced practitioners in that area. It's amazing what advice you can get for free.

* Systematically work through all the steps and set mini-deadlines along the way. Tell other people about them so that they can encourage you to keep going when it gets tough.

* Adjust the goal where necessary as you learn more about the process of getting there, and if what you decided you wanted is not quite the same anymore.

Do you have short and long term goals - why is it important to have both?

I think having simple long term goals about lifestyle and your business are really good - but on the way to achieving your ideal lifestyle it's so important to feel you are achieving during the process. Creating steps for achieving goals and crossing them off are a great way to feel like you're progressing.

What is your process for setting goals (ie do you write them down)?

I used to write them down. Now I just decide on them and tell people who I think will keep me on track. The more people I tell the more help I can get with achieving the goals also. It's a win win.

How do you stay on track to achieve your goals (ie reviewing them regularly)?

Yes, reviewing them regularly, and maintaining the expectation that they will change and morph as you continue to develop as a person and in your practice.

Your interests and passions change over time, so goals need adjusting too.

Do you achieve every goal you go for?

I only achieve the ones where my heart was really in it. Sometimes the goals involve an element of chance or luck, and if you've tried your hardest and still not succeeded, there's not much you can do but try again or move on to a different goal.

Is going for goals a straight or a crooked line journey?

For tough goals there's a lot of traveling sideways, and feeling like you're not going anywhere. I tend to get really impatient that I'm not feeling like I'm progressing.

So I create some easy short term steps I can work on to get over some of the boulders on the way.

Tell us about a long standing goal that eventually came to fruition. How did you hold onto it and what was your journey to achieving it?

After my first visit to New York I decided I was going back to live there. I didn’t know how I would survive since it took a year of saving to go there for five weeks. But I kept on telling people I was moving to New York nonetheless. It really makes it a whole lot harder to fail when you've told everyone you know you're going to do something. It's bad enough letting yourself down let alone all your friends and supporters. It all came together in the last few frantic weeks before I left and I had six fantastic months in Brooklyn.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given about goals?

Never have a plan B.

What do you wish someone told you about setting goals when you first started your career?

It won't happen overnight, but it will happen?..(if you want it enough.)