Setting Goals That Don't Involve Bubble Shooter Games on Facebook

I've been thinking a lot lately about goal setting. What I like to do is make a to-do list each day. That way, I can put things on it that are super easy to do, like eat lunch (check), drink coffee (check), play Bubble Safari (check).

And I've spent a lot of time being disappointed about how much of my time I waste (playing Bubble Safari). Truth time: I've beaten all of the available levels of Bubble Safari. And that makes me really sad. I need advice, guys. Or a new system, or some self discipline.

I go through phases of being very driven and motivated to accomplish things that are important to me. I go for a few weeks writing a poem each day, or I read ten books in two weeks. Then I give up or burn out.

I've been contemplating implementing a new goal setting system, in which I give myself daily goals, weekly goals, and monthly goals. I think I'd try to keep "yearly goals" to a minimum, as it might feel too much like a new year's resolution kind of gig. But I know what my lofty goals are. I want a book. I want to be published in The New Yorker. I want to teach creative writing. That's it. That's what my goals will amount to, if I do it right.

How do you set goals for yourself? Have you found success? What didn't work? I'm in a bind here. I seriously need to stop wasting so much of my time and actually get to work doing the things that matter to me. Help a sister out. What's your system?