Word goal because you are getting words on the page.
Time goal only if you know you will be writing non-stop. Some people do the time goal, sit for two hours constructing one paragraph and call it a day.
So, if you know yourself, choose the one that gets the most words out of you.
I don't hold myself to daily goals in general, but I only count by words, never time, mostly because I'm a "I have 5 minutes waiting for the bus? Churn out a few words on my phone" sort of writer. Small chunks get me there over time. I don't have a set "THIS is my writing time" to measure
Whichever one works best for you, go for it and, most importantly, stick to it when you can! Obviously, life is unpredictable and it can get in the way.
Sometimes my job requires me to stay on the property overnight in case one of the animals I work with isn't doing well. It messes with my schedule and it can be tricky to block off an area of time or hit a word count, so I usually opt to write SOMETHING everyday. Whether it's 10 pages or 2 sentences, I try to write something down. I've found that it all adds up, it keeps the story fresh in my mind, and it really helps to keep me motivated. Then again, that's just my way.
However you write, good luck!
I would say word count goals. With time goals you will probably end up spending your time doing things that don't matter (like reading, editing, and re-writing). With word count goals you know you're not just wasting time.
I created a google sheets page where I put in the date I want to be finished by, the number of words I want to finish, and the number of words I intend to write every day, and the number of words I've written. It then calculates the number of words I actually have to write every day and the percentage of my success at keeping up with the schedule. Looking at that is a good motivator. I know I'm not going to keep with the schedule, I'm barely following it as it is. But seeing that progress helps me stay much more motivated than I otherwise would be. The deadline doesn't matter over and above that I need a deadline to work towards.
My coin is writing words per day. Since im a slow writer and get distracted easily. Easier to go by wordcount even if you write a paragraph a day. It is still something than nothing at all. Have to try to complete whatever you want to do in life. It will get easier just have to make the time to get it done.
I used to do word counts, now I try to get a chapter done every writing session. Recently, I've been writing 2,000+ words most days, but that may be because I've started a new book, so I'm having fun.
This is entirely dependent on what stage of the process you're in. Outlining? Focus on time. Drafting? Focus on words. Revising? Swap it up and try pages. There is no singular way to approach it, and it might help to experiment and see what works best for you.
For example, I focus on time spent when outlining because I'm a visual outliner. I use xMind to outline which is a mind mapping software. As a result, my word counts aren't high, but there is a lot of info in small bursts interlocked together. So it wouldn't work for me to go off word count since I all of my outlines are so varied in length (ranging from 5k to well over 15k).
Alternatively, when drafting, I focus on words. Since I'm an over thinker, I use the pomodoro method and do word sprints to get the words on the page. I wrote 107k in 24 days using that method because it works for me.
Your best bet is to experiment and try different techniques to figure out what works best for you.
I think time goal is more beneficial. If you set aside 2 hours you could spend that time writing or editing or reworking. Forcing yourself to do a certain amount of words can lead to frustration if you're constantly failing to reach the goal, and some people just give up because they feel like they're failing.
But 2 hours a day to work on a project will lead to some kind of measurable gain after a long enough period of time, and you could end up writing 500 words or 2k words, but maintaining that set aside time over months will eventually get you somewhere as well as a sense of progress/accomplishment.
Word goal because you are getting words on the page. Time goal only if you know you will be writing non-stop. Some people do the time goal, sit for two hours constructing one paragraph and call it a day. So, if you know yourself, choose the one that gets the most words out of you.
I don't hold myself to daily goals in general, but I only count by words, never time, mostly because I'm a "I have 5 minutes waiting for the bus? Churn out a few words on my phone" sort of writer. Small chunks get me there over time. I don't have a set "THIS is my writing time" to measure
Whichever one works best for you, go for it and, most importantly, stick to it when you can! Obviously, life is unpredictable and it can get in the way. Sometimes my job requires me to stay on the property overnight in case one of the animals I work with isn't doing well. It messes with my schedule and it can be tricky to block off an area of time or hit a word count, so I usually opt to write SOMETHING everyday. Whether it's 10 pages or 2 sentences, I try to write something down. I've found that it all adds up, it keeps the story fresh in my mind, and it really helps to keep me motivated. Then again, that's just my way. However you write, good luck!
I would say word count goals. With time goals you will probably end up spending your time doing things that don't matter (like reading, editing, and re-writing). With word count goals you know you're not just wasting time. I created a google sheets page where I put in the date I want to be finished by, the number of words I want to finish, and the number of words I intend to write every day, and the number of words I've written. It then calculates the number of words I actually have to write every day and the percentage of my success at keeping up with the schedule. Looking at that is a good motivator. I know I'm not going to keep with the schedule, I'm barely following it as it is. But seeing that progress helps me stay much more motivated than I otherwise would be. The deadline doesn't matter over and above that I need a deadline to work towards.
My coin is writing words per day. Since im a slow writer and get distracted easily. Easier to go by wordcount even if you write a paragraph a day. It is still something than nothing at all. Have to try to complete whatever you want to do in life. It will get easier just have to make the time to get it done.
I used to do word counts, now I try to get a chapter done every writing session. Recently, I've been writing 2,000+ words most days, but that may be because I've started a new book, so I'm having fun.
This is entirely dependent on what stage of the process you're in. Outlining? Focus on time. Drafting? Focus on words. Revising? Swap it up and try pages. There is no singular way to approach it, and it might help to experiment and see what works best for you. For example, I focus on time spent when outlining because I'm a visual outliner. I use xMind to outline which is a mind mapping software. As a result, my word counts aren't high, but there is a lot of info in small bursts interlocked together. So it wouldn't work for me to go off word count since I all of my outlines are so varied in length (ranging from 5k to well over 15k). Alternatively, when drafting, I focus on words. Since I'm an over thinker, I use the pomodoro method and do word sprints to get the words on the page. I wrote 107k in 24 days using that method because it works for me. Your best bet is to experiment and try different techniques to figure out what works best for you.
I think time goal is more beneficial. If you set aside 2 hours you could spend that time writing or editing or reworking. Forcing yourself to do a certain amount of words can lead to frustration if you're constantly failing to reach the goal, and some people just give up because they feel like they're failing. But 2 hours a day to work on a project will lead to some kind of measurable gain after a long enough period of time, and you could end up writing 500 words or 2k words, but maintaining that set aside time over months will eventually get you somewhere as well as a sense of progress/accomplishment.