Many of us will relate to setting goals at the start of the year, and then by the end of the year we don't even remember that we even set those goals! However, we're going through four useful steps when planning and setting our goals.
Step 1 Deciding and Writing it Down
Before we do anything, we must consider and decide what our goals are and write them down. You may be wondering "Why do I have to write it down?" There is something powerful about actually taking pen to paper. Writing down what we want to accomplish solidifies what we are setting out to do.
Coming up with a goal to accomplish is the first hurdle. Going a step further I would ask what would it feel like if I've already accomplished this goal? Would there be a change in my behavior? What are the implications when this becomes a reality in my life? Flushing these details out, opens up the imagination. It reveals your true intentions, helping you make any adjustments to your goals. These questions would refine your goal to make you say something along the lines of, "Yes, this is what I want to achieve." or “Yes this is how I want to impact people!”.
Imagine that this year you have decided to be in a managerial position at your workplace. The next thing you would ask yourself is, what is going to imply? What would be the responsibilities that I'll be handling? How would I dress to work? What would be my behavior? Who would I be impacting? Thinking and writing about it makes it more real. You connect with that goal emotionally. If you don't connect to it emotionally, you tend to neglect it. By the time the end of the year comes, you won’t even remember you set that goal.
It's also important to know what your ‘why’ is. Why does this goal matter? Why do I have to accomplish it? What is it going to do for me? Continue to expand on these questions. Another thing is to think big, start small, so that you can build momentum.
Step 2 Be Specific
Be very specific. Many a time, we are not specific in setting goals. It's one thing to say, I would like to have a great salary. It's another thing to say. I would like to earn £100,000 in the year 2019. There is a significant difference between those two goals. The first one is so vague, that you don't even know when you've reached it. What does it even mean to have a ‘great’ salary? What does that actually mean to you?
When you put a specific measure, you then know what you're working towards. A useful acronym is SMART goals.
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely.
If you're able to create specific, measurable goals, then you will know exactly when you are not reaching those goals. You are aware when you are lagging behind. This is a signal to push you to actually accomplish the goal, rather than continuing at the rate you are going and ultimately missing your goal. This is why considering the duration of how long I want to achieve this goal cannot be underestimated. I would then go further to say, what are the different milestones and the different deadlines that I need to reach in order to achieve this goal? For example, a year long goal would be broken down into milestones for every quarter. What do I need to do every month? What do I need to do every week? And then I break it down to daily goals.
You may feel that's like overkill, but for those no ordinary, significant goals, it is essential to be as detailed as possible. It keeps your head in the game, causing your mind to be streamlined with focus.
On a weekly basis, write down the three priority tasks that would make the week successful. If I can achieve just these three goals, this makes me think I am moving closer to actually achieving that goal. It puts everything into perspective. It frames everything to not get lost in doing unnecessary and low priority tasks. With this, you're able to measure to see exactly if you're following through.
Step 3 Take Massive Action
I remember so many times when I set goals, there is that initial buzz of excitement. However, the little things in life pop up and for whatever the reason no action was taken on that goal for a period of time. Without even realising all motivation is lost! I wasn't as excited about it anymore. It's important that we need to take massive action on a daily basis. You don't want to spend all that effort and time, putting a plan in place and not to then take any into action.
The late Jim Rohn, an inspirational speaker in personal development, said something that struck me to my nerves. He said, "When is the best time to take action? This is when the ideas are hot or when the feelings are high." That momentum, that excitement gets you going. It gets you putting one foot ahead of the other. If you leave it too long, it wanes down, until it becomes only a little flicker and then you've lost interest in actually achieving that goal. It's so important taking massive action. This is the main difference between success and failure.
Step 4 Tracking Your Progress
This year, I got into the habit of tracking my progress to see if I was actually measuring up to the goals I had set for myself. I wrote down all the different habits that I need to incorporate in my life on a daily basis. When I thought of starting my YouTube channel, I realized that I had to create content that was engaging for viewers. So I had to say to myself, "What do I need to do on a daily basis, to move this forward?" One of the things I set for myself was to make sure that I research content and write out a script, detailing what I wanted to share with my audience.
It has made executing the goal a lot easier, because it's something that I'm doing on a daily basis, so that I can provide value to others. I started with a habit tracker in my planner, and I would have a checklist to tick it off on a daily basis.
There are also a number of habit tracker apps. I will link a few of them here.
See what works out for you. By the end of each week I would review and reflect on how my tasks went. I would find out what I did right, what was successful, what didn't I do well and what can I do better. I would do that at the end of the week. I would do that at the end of the month. I would do that at every quarter. When tracking or reflecting, I feel it is a good way to optimize productivity.
After all your hard work and reaching milestones, celebrate your progress! Add little rewards when you've accomplished a milestone or a deadline. It makes the whole process fun. It gives you something to look forward to. What I tried to do for myself on a daily basis is, if I accomplish all that is set for that day, I'll treat myself to an hour of watching whatever it is. Reality TV, whatever it is that tickles my fancy on the day. It could be going out with your partner or having a drink, whatever it is that helps you to have fun and relax.
Another way to keep on track is if you could get a friend, who can be your accountability partner. Who can help you make sure that you're actually following through on the things that you have promised to yourself and you've set for yourself, for the year.
Beautifying Bodies, Beautifying Minds
I hope this has helped you to clarify the process of making and carrying out goals that you've set for this year. Remember, we want to be accountable to each other. What is one goal that you want to accomplish this year? Do check out the video when you get the chance. It’s your girl Kelly here to help you stay confident, stylish and successful. Do tag me on instagram if you’ve used any of these tips or have any suggestions!