10 Steps to Set and Actually Achieve Your Goals

You don’t have to have goals in place to
actually get things done. However, they
can push you to get the important things
done and help you track your progress.
Revisiting my goals regularly reminds me
what I want to accomplish and helps me
say no to things that aren’t working
towards them. Here is how I actually set
goals and what works for me.

1. I know you’ve probably heard this before,
but set SMART goals.
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic,
Timely. This is actually easier said than
done. I’ve known about this principle for
years, but I still have a hard time doing
this. The measurable and realistic parts are
normally my sticking points.

2. Set goals for different time periods.
I set SMART goals for 1 week, 3 months, 1
year, and 3 years. Seem a bit excessive? I
don’t have too many goals for each time
period, but having separate goals helps me
stay on track of what I want to accomplish
and what is actually achievable. That leads
to the next point…

3. But don’t set too many goals.
Setting too many goals will lead to
overwhelm and not being able to track
your goals. Pick a few important goals that
you can remember and keep up with and
leave it at that.

4. Break them down into manageable pieces
and set due dates on your calendar.
Sit down with your goals and brainstorm
all the steps that need to happen for them
to occur. Then add dates (but remember to
keep them within your goal time frame). I
do this by mind mapping, either on paper
or software. The Passion Planner has good
instructions for setting goals at the
beginning of the planner. (You can get a
digital copy for free!).
This is the part that really helps with
actually achieving your goals. Instead of
having a broad sweeping goal that you
forget about, a goal with action items and
deadlines helps you track it and keep it
fresh on your mind.

5. Tell someone about your goals.
There’s nothing like accountability for
getting things done. If no one but you
knows if you don’t accomplish your goals,
what difference does it make? Having
someone else know about your goals puts
you under more pressure to finish them.

6. Keep track.
I personally use an excel file to track my
goals and deadlines, but you can use
anything: notebook, poster on the wall,
software, etc. After my weekly review, I fill
in the cell for each goal with green, yellow,
or red. Green means I’m on schedule for
the goal, yellow means there was a delay
for the week, and red means the goal is
not on track. This color coding helps me
quickly look at the spreadsheet and see
what I need to be focusing on.

7. Continually reevaluate.
Periodically, I do a check in about the
goal: is it still viable or has something
changed? You can decide how often to
reevaluate your goals, but the point is to
reevaluate them regularly.

8. Prioritize.
Set up your list of goals based on priority.
That way, if you have multiple things to
work on for multiple goals, you can work
on the one that is the most important to
you.

9. Be ready to chunk a goal.
If a goal doesn’t work for you anymore, get
rid of it. There is no shame in not
accomplishing a goal, especially if your
priorities have changed. You can’t be too
hung up on finishing everything just for
the sake of completion.

10. Celebrate your accomplishments!
All I can say is: Treat yo’ self.