6 Easy Steps for Goal Setting

Why I am I setting goals this year?

Every new year I look forward to the year ahead filled with hope and good intentions.

Every year like so many, my good intentions & resolutions are short lived.  So what is stopping me?

This year I vow to change things.  This year I am setting goals.

Goal setting is the process of deciding what you really want and devising a plan of how you will achieve this.  Once you know what you want  - you have focus and direction and that makes sticking with it that little bit easier!  We all want an easy life, right?

There are loads articles stating if you want to succeed in life you should be goal setting.  Actually there is 94,900,000 hits for goals setting online.  I've even made that simple for you and pulled them all together into the 6 best tips to get you started with setting you own goals. No excuses, really?

1.  Set goals that are positive and motivate you

So simple one to start with.  Sounds self explanatory, of course you are gonna set goals that you want to a achieve right?  Well you would be surprised how many don't.  Many people, especially around the new year set goals that are a chore, or boring, or they are someone else's goals or the same goals they set every year.  

You are not likely to stick to something that doesn't excite you!  No system or plan will keep you on track if you see your goals as cumbersome you are going to dread taking steps towards achieving it.  Think of the gym - many people vow to go everyday but hate it.  Who wants to do something they hate, everyday??  It is much better to find something you enjoy like walking, zumba, hula hooping, dancing, if the gym isn't your thing, that's fine!

This also applies if it clashes with your true values.  For instance if your goal is to wash the car every week, but you really don't like washing the car or you think there is no point washing the car weekly and it's actually your wife's car you just said you would do it, then you are going to make excuses not to do it and eventually give up.  Unless you are Mr B (every week, really? I just don't get it!)

• To find out if it really motivates you ask yourself why you are setting this goal.  What would you say if you had to convince someone this was what you really wanted?
• Use positive strong words when setting your goals

2.  Set goals that are SMART

I have used this in work many times, strange how I never thought of crossing the technique over into personal life.  Anyways SMART is well recognised in goal setting land as

Specific

• Make it clear, simple, concise.  No vagueness or generalisation, you need focus & direction
• Why should you accomplish the goal?
• What will the goal accomplish?
• How will the goal be accomplished?

Measurable

• You want dates, figures, amounts - so you know if you have achieved them or not.  So no I will lose weight.  Instead it would be I will lose 5kg
• How can we measure progress or see how we are doing?

Actionable

• Your goal should be about doing something, taking some action.  It should be something you can do.  Ask yourself can you do it?
• For example to write, stop, drink, run, work,  rather than a to-be.  Eg. "I will run for 30mins every other day" rather than "I will be active" or "I will be more consistent with blogging" should be "I will write a post each day"

Realistic

• It needs to be achievable.  If you have no hope of achieving your goal you will be come demoralised.  Don't set yourself up to fail! Challenge yourself by all means but it must be achievable.

• What have you achieved in the past? Can you build on this? Have you done something similar?

Timed

• Set a deadline.  Put a date on it.
• Days, Weeks, Months - not years.  You need a sense of urgency to maintain focus.

3. Write them down

Every page on goal setting said Write them down!  It makes them more real.  It gives them power, the process of writing them adds to your motivation to succeed.  It also means you can have them to refer to.  

• Write them and put them places you will see regularly.  Post it notes, desktops, mirrors, planners, fridge, anywhere so you can keep your focus on what you want to achieve.

4.  Make an action plan

This is the step many people miss out!  You need a plan the steps that will get you to your goal.

• List each step that you need to do to get you to your goal.  Start at the beginning what you need to do to get you started
• Put them in the order you need to do them

5. Review your goals regularly

Writing them down is great but you have to review them too.  You have to check in on your progress.  This is what turns them into reality.

• Review your goals daily, weekly or monthly

6.  Keep going, commit to the process

You need to keep at it.  Goal setting is not just about wanting something to happen, you got to work on it.  Build in reminders to stick to it.  You may need to keep altering you action plan to keep you on track.  Celebrate your success along the way. 

Hope you enjoyed this round up.  Took me longer than I thought, there just seemed to be so much out there on goal setting!

"Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible."

~Tony Robbins

Go on, set some goals, you know you want to.

I will be sharing mine soon.  If you feel like sharing, go on add your links in the comments below.