Writing goals down is a great way to help you accomplish them.
One of the best ways to accomplish goals is to write them down. Committing goals to paper allows you to evaluate each goal and its attainability. It also allows you to create a game plan for achieving the goal. Follow a SMART goal format to ensure that you are not setting yourself up for failure by creating goals that cannot be achieved. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely.
Visualize
Take a moment to visualize what you would want to accomplish if time, money and resources were not an issue. Ask yourself where you would want to be in a year, and what you would want to be different in a year. The authors of the Goal Setting Guide website, suggest that in addition to asking yourself what you want to have and be in a year, ask yourself what you do not want to have or be in a year. For example, you may decide you do not want to have a heart attack, so you create goals around changing the way you eat and exercise.
Brainstorm
After you have visualized your version of the perfect future if there was nothing limiting your ability to succeed, it is time to start writing down possible goals. Considering what you do and do not want out of life in the next year, make a list of SMART goals. Making goals specific and measurable allows you to easily track your progress and celebrate your small achievements. Making goals attainable and realistic prevents you from setting yourself up for failure. Finally, making goals that are timely force you to actively work towards your goals rather than procrastinate. For example, "become a millionaire in one day" is not a SMART goal. However, "start my own business" is the start of a SMART goal. This goal can be refined and broken down into measurable and attainable steps.
Categorize
Although each individual goal you brainstorm may be a SMART goal, having too many goals makes them unattainable. Once you have your master list of goals, separate them into categories, such as work, health, personal and education. Separating goals into categories allows you to decide how much time and energy you have to commit to goals in these different areas. It also helps you recognize if the combination of too many goals in one area makes them all unattainable.
Prioritize
Within each category, list the goals in order of importance. Prioritizing goals keeps you focused on what is most important and helps you avoid distractions. Prioritizing goals also helps you decide if some goals are more suitable for delay than others are.
Break Down Annual Goals
Breaking down annual goals into smaller objectives helps you to accomplish your goals. Although your annual goal may be to open your own business, your short-term objectives include finding a location, securing an inventory and advertising, among other things.
For each goal, make a list of short-term objectives. Then list those objectives in order of importance. This will also give you benchmarks to monitor your success. For example, if your annual goal is to lose 80 pounds, your short-term objective may be to lose 20 pounds in the next three months. This gives you a specific amount of weight to lose in a specific amount of time. The short-term objectives should contain the same five qualities as the SMART goals.
Tags: SMART goal, short-term objectives, want have, what want, would want