In your yearly review, how did you do with reviewing your progress on your goals?
Often the way we set our goals leads us to fail. We tend to set only big, yearly goals, never revisit them, and eventually forget about them all together. Have you ever wondered why you've never fully achieved them? I'm going to teach you how to set goals that are achievable and how to keep you on track for success.
Goodbye Yearly Goals!
Goals can be set at any time, on any time frame and be fully flexible.
Instead of making singular yearly goals as the only target to aim for, I integrate them into a timeline of events. It helps to keep you on track and to maintain motivation. It breaks larger, further away goals into smaller, nearer goals that are more easily achievable.
Set Goals in the Important Areas of Your Life
Before we talk about time frame, I want you to identify the important aspects of your life. As I spoke about in last weeks' blog, these areas can include: health, career, personal growth, spirituality, finances, hobbies and creativity, mental health, relationships and family. To begin with, pick the top three you want to work on.
Break it up in a Timeline
The timeframe I use is: Dream - 5 years - 1 year - 90 days - 1 month - Daily
Let's break it down.
Dream - Ask yourself: 'How do I want to feel and act?' When it comes to goals, it's often not the actual 'thing' that we want; it's the feeling that we get from it. First of all visualise the absolute epitome of how you want to feel, and then how you will subsequently act.
5 years and 1 year - 'What do I want to be doing by this time?' It's good to keep in the general long-term goalposts in your timeline, because they are nearer than your Dream. If you ever feel like your Dream seems far away, revisit your 1 and 5 year intentions.
90 days - This timeframe is extremely underestimated and often overlooked. 90 days is the equivalent of 3 months, or a quarter of a year. I love setting quarterly goals because when revisiting them, they give you insight on your progress, what went well, what didn't go well, and what needs to change going into the next quarter.
"90 days is the length of one quarter. That’s how far you can reasonably think and plan ahead when you’re in hyper-growth. You have to make sure you’re doing the most valuable work at any given time. It’s almost certain that what you think is important today won’t be important at all, even a quarter down the line. Adopting this attitude — born out of constraints — will keep you nimble, keep you focused on the ripest opportunities, and make the best use of everyone’s time." - Tom Conrad
1 month - 'Where would I like to have progressed in a month?' A month is ideal to create a short term plan. You can even build routines and set goals for each week. Monthly goals create momentum as through completing daily goals you create a solid track record which propels you forwards. Your intention becomes part of your identity, thus solidifying it into your routine and life.
Daily - 'What is an actionable, achievable action I can do everyday to move me towards my one month goal?' Everyday you can create traction to reach the 1 month mark. It's far more motivating to work in manageable steps and celebrate when you achieve them. Look towards the nearer goals, but frequently look at the bigger picture of your Dream.
Remember: For each milestone, write down how your future self is feeling, what you have achieved already, and what you are excited for in the future as you progress. Doing this makes your present self excited and motivated to get started, as it makes it more real and doable.
Revisiting Goals
It's imperative to revisit your goals, ideally each month as that is the first timeframe and means that you regularly check-in with yourself. To review your progress, ask yourself these three questions:
'What went well?' Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small. They all add fuel to the fire!
'What didn't go well?' Identify areas that didn't work or didn't go to plan. Granted, some things may not have been within your control, and some things may have been. No matter which one it is be sure to write it down.
'What can I change going forward?' What are the things you can do to minimise or remove possible interference with your progress towards your next review?
By using this framework you can set clear, intentional, achievable goals, and remain motivated. Happy planning for success!