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Learn How to Set Goals for Achievement Instead of Disappointment
By The Holiday Firm Manisha Holiday | Published June 28, 2022, 7:00 AM | Self-Improvement | The Holiday Firm Atlanta
Today I thought I would shake things up a bit, I am sure most of you are familiar with the daily grind of always being on the go. The world we live in tries to take every ounce of energy we have to fulfill its needs. Today I beg the question, “Do you fulfill your own needs?”If you want to reach your goals, you need a method of focus and planning that has built-in tracking, motivation, and above all, encourages discipline and consistency.
As a visionary leader, publicist, and advisor, I encourage others to be very clear about setting their own goals and developing action plans to achieve them. If you establish clear goals from the outset (whether personal, professional, or marketing-related), then you’re on a focused track to achieving them.
When setting your goals, I highly recommend using a planner that allows you to prioritize the most important items on your daily and weekly list. I recommend ClickUp for this as it gives you space to not only design your day but to also effectively plan for and execute your goals. Research shows you’re more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down. It helps you commit to your goals more deeply in a way that helps you follow through.
Why is goal setting important?
Goal setting is important because starting a successful business takes time, patience, and dedication. If you're launching a new company, or product defining your goals can help you track your company's progress. Goal setting helps you visualize your thoughts and ideas more clearly. With proper planning, you can make necessary adjustments at every step of your journey, which could improve your efficiency.
Are you thinking this is easier said than done? Do you struggle with goal setting?
If so, then my top 10 tips are for you!
1. Know what makes a good goal. Goals should meet the criteria of SMART:
S – Specific: Make them as clear as possible.
M – Measurable: Develop a benchmark and a target so you know if you’re making progress.
A – Attainable: It’s healthy to stretch, but ensure your goals are within reach so it’s worth the effort.
R – Realistic: Create goals that are challenging enough to avoid underachievement and apathy.
T– Time-Bound: Assign deadlines to goals to create a sense of urgency, which fosters achievement.
2. Get priorities in order. Your goals should be in sync with where you see yourself in the time ahead. They should be in sync with your priorities. Having long-term goals isn’t bad but you should first take into account your present situation and where exactly you are failing to improve. Once you get the idea, set goals that get rid of the immediate obstacles and assure incremental progress.
3. Do your homework. Look at past data and gather information to help you create goals. Without this insight, you can’t build on past successes or failures to know what worked and what didn’t.
4. Set deadlines. After you have created your goals, it's helpful to set deadlines for them. Deadlines can create a specific timeline for your business. For example, if you want your business to launch in six months, you can use this deadline to ensure your launch occurs on time.
5. Prioritize the steps. After creating steps for each goal, you can prioritize and organize these tasks. Consider how you want to order the tasks. For example, if you want to reach 10 new customers in the first month of business, you may need to first contact your target audience.
6. List out the obstacles. By clearly identifying what’s holding you back from achieving your goals, you can minimize uncertainty and increase confidence. If roadblocks are identified, you can make plans to overcome them in no time.
7. Brainstorm solutions for the obstacles. If you think through multiple ways to remove obstacles, you’ll be able to select the most effective solution for the situation.
8. Start taking action.
Now that you've defined your goals, you can begin taking action. Try to work on a small task or step daily to help you move closer to your goals. Consider taking time to review your goals regularly. This can help you make adjustments as your business grows.
9. Get others on board with your goals. Gaining consensus and getting people to understand the why behind your goals is an important step in being able to achieve them. If people can get behind your motivations and your thinking, they will offer you support (which will come in handy when you need to delegate!).
10. Celebrate achievements. This is one we often forget. We need to be kind to ourselves and others and take the time to acknowledge that we’re on the right track. This helps us to continue on the path of motivation, energy, confidence, and positive goal setting.
Don’t lose sight!
And finally, don’t lose sight of your goals. If we don’t lose sight of it and wade our way through the obstacles, there isn’t a goal that can’t be achieved. So let's stay focused till we reach our destination. Let's not lose sight of it. With that, I leave you with a quote from the famous Henry David Thoreau… “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”
So don't defeat your efforts before you even start to work on accomplishing your desired goals. Set yourself up for success rather than failure by applying these ten goal-setting tips and start achieving what you want to achieve. Download HubSpot's Free SMART Goal Template
