OGSM For Creativity: Bring Your Creative Vision To Life
OGSM (objectives, goals, strategy, and measures) is a model used by businesses to set realistic goals. In the realm of creativity, OGSM can be a tool for bringing your creative vision to life.
Last month, I discussed my short and long-term music goals. Now, I’m using OGSM for creativity to create an action plan.
It can be challenging to prioritize creative goals among the responsibilities and relationships of life. OGSM makes it easier by helping you make a yellow brick road to follow toward accomplishment.
This short guide includes a step-by-step process, examples, and a downloadable template to help you create your own OGSM for creativity.
If you have the desire to create something—even if you don’t know what yet—this guide is for you. Let’s do it together!
What Is OGSM for Creativity?
A project planning model, OGSM for creativity can be used to focus on reaching a specific goal by creating a realistic plan of achievement. It stands for:
- Objectives: The end result.
- Goals: The checkpoints along the way.
- Strategy: What you will do and how.
- Measures: How you determine success.
Objectives: The End Result
What do you want to create, release, or hold in your hands?
Create a single objective that’s within your control, such as querying your draft to agents rather than signing a book deal.
Examples: release a music single, complete a book draft, learn to sew your own clothes, host an art show at a gallery, etc.
Goals: The Checkpoints Along The Way
What do you need to learn or accomplish to get there?
These goals should act as levels of progress that support the completion of your objective.
Examples: Gain sufficient music production skills, sew your first dress, finish the first draft of your book, build a collection of art in your medium, etc.
Strategy: What You Will Do & How
What will you do to meet your goals and progress toward the end result, and how will you do it?
Your strategy outlines the actions you will take.
Examples: Produce a series of songs from start to finish, hire a coach or take a class to gain competency in a specific skill, create and share a new video each week, network with gallery owners, etc.
Measures: How You Determine Success
What metrics will you use as indicators that you’re meeting your goals and progressing toward the objective?
How will you know when each goal has been accomplished?
It can be helpful to give yourself some wiggle room by measuring 80% completion instead of expecting 100% all the time.
Examples: Five songs produced in the first quarter of the year, three new garments completed in three months, complete the first act of your book, attend a class or workshop diligently, send your art to ten potential galleries, etc.
My OGSM for Creativity Example
Objective: 1st Single Ready For Release (Produced, Mixed, Mastered)
Goals:
- Production skills to MVP (minimum viable product) status
- Gain new subscribers to my monthly newsletter
- Perform once a quarter (at least)
Strategy (For Each Goal):
1. Production skills to MVP status
- Two songs a month from songwriting through basic mixing.
- Complete Hyperbits Accelerator and Bootcamp
- Invest in and stay on pace for Hyperbits Masterclass.
- Determine my first single from songs produced or produce first single
- Consider hiring a professional to mix and hire a professional to master the song
2. Gain new subscribers to my monthly newsletter
- Share what I’m creating, how I’m strategizing, what I’m working on or learning about (business, music production, songwriting, etc)
- When applicable, make it SEO-optimized, which is also great for making content more user-focused and sharing the boon of what I’ve learned
- Use subscribers-only blocker for post-related opt-in offers (i.e. free template, newsletters with music drafts, etc)
- Learn more about marketing without relying on social media
3. Perform once a quarter
- Learn two of my demo songs on piano
- Perform at open mics
Measures (For Q1 2025)
- Did I produce 5 songs (which is roughly 80% of 6 song goal) within Q1?
- Have I completed Hyperbits Accelerator and Bootcamp classes?
- Do I know two of my demos on piano and performed them at one open mic?
- Did I gain new email subscribers and from what sources?
- Did I enjoy the process of learning, creating, and sharing this quarter? Why or why not?
5 Steps To Create Your Own OGSM for Creativity
1. Brainstorm OGSM
Grab a notebook and get everything out of your head. Start by asking yourself what objective you’d like to complete, then outline the goals and strategies for achieving it.
Also, consider the period of time in which you want to accomplish the objective. Since I'm writing this right before the new year, I’m considering what I’d like to complete in the next year and creating measures for the first quarter.
Get in touch with the burning desire in the pit of your stomach and remember that being on the path toward what you want should be fun. It’s not all about getting there.
2. Take A Clarity Break
Once you’ve laid out your initial draft, take a clarity break—this can last 15 minutes or multiple days.
A clarity break can help you process your goals and more easily determine if you’re trying to do too much at one time before refining your plan.
I’m especially guilty of this. If I used my initial brainstorm as the final plan, I’d be too overwhelmed by everything and fail to start.
3. Determine How Much Time You Can Invest
Now, it’s time to consider your daily life. The amount of time any one person can reasonably invest in their creative goals on a weekly or monthly basis will differ.
It’s also important to strike a sustainable balance between responsibilities, relationships, and mental health.
Be honest with yourself about your energy levels and what has (or hasn’t) worked for you in the past. Consider how you can support your growth now.
Instead of using past behavior to justify why you can’t do something, what would need to be true to ensure your success moving forward?
After taking stock of your life, determine the number of hours you will invest each week into pursuing your creative goals.
4. Refine OGSM Using KISS
The acronym KISS stands for “keep it simple, stupid.” While we’re all brilliant beings here, KISS is an easy way to remind yourself that complicated doesn’t mean better.
The more you simplify your plan of action, the easier it will be to follow and the less likely you will fall into overwhelm. Refine your OGSM by breaking up larger tasks into simple steps.
Then determine if you can reduce the number of goals and strategies while still accomplishing your minimum viable product (MVP). An MVP is the most basic version of your objective that still generates the desired result.
In business, MVP denotes a bare-bones product used to evaluate market demand and gain early adopters. In creativity, MVP can be used to plan the essential steps necessary to accomplish the objective without adding too much that complicates your overall progress.
What is the simplest version of your objective that would still be considered a success? Do this for goals and strategies too. Once you’ve completed this step, you’re almost done!
5. Add Your Plan of Action To Your Calendar
Prioritize your goals and create a weekly or monthly calendar (free template below!) for what you will work on and when. It’s no fun holding yourself to an unreasonable time deadline.
You may realize your OGSM needs another round of refinement. I sure did!
This approach recognizes that accomplishing your creative goal may take longer than expected or longer than you want it to. But if you consistently show up and make progress, that’s all you can truly ask of yourself.
Of course, if you get stuck or find yourself going off track, seek community or a mentor to help you move through those blocks and address the emotional waves (oh how they swell!).
With your new calendar in front of you, can you feasibly see yourself putting in this energy and time week in and week out?
If not, plan to do less (and do it exceedingly well instead).
OGSM For Creativity Template (Free Downloadable PDF)
Use the steps above and fill out this PDF template to envision your creative goals and create a plan to accomplish them.
Note: To fill in the PDF on your computer, you can download the free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader (or similar software) and use the Type Text tool.
With your template downloaded, it's time to create your own OGSM for creativity!
Let me know if you have any questions; I'd love to hear about your experience!
Thank you for reading, I’ll talk to you in the new year!
With love and badassery,
Conner Lee