GOAL SETTING
HOW TO SET GOALS + CRUSH THEM
This past year, I have been really on top of setting goals -- not just for myself, but also for my business. Setting goals has really helped me to see my overall growth personally and professionally. By setting targets in different areas of my life within a specific time frame, I am able to really see the difference in my determination + progress, which makes my type-a self so happy.
DEVELOPING A SYSTEM + HABITS
The first step to setting goals if figuring out a process and system that works best for you -- a notebook that you write goals down in, a note on your phone, a white board that you can always see… it is what works best for you! For me, it is a note in my phone that I can always check + take notes on. I have found that monthly and quarterly goals work best for what I want to work on, but you can chunk it by weekly, daily, etc.
// Quarterly goals
For quarterly goals, these are targeted at revenue, spending habits, personal growth and more abstract focus points. These goals have helped me with figuring out my work flow + how many clients I can and should take on at a time, as well as establishing a good work-life balance.
// monthly goals
For my monthly goals, I break it down into five topics: mind, soul, body, financial, and business — these cover more tangible + short term items like meditation time, adding to my my investment accounts, learning a new skill, reading a set number of books, working on stretching and more. Finally, in my bullet journal, I have a daily tracker that I use for my monthly goals to check of meditation, working out, water goals, or other items that I want to stay on top of.
By having this system, I can go back each week, month, and quarter to see what I have accomplished and what I still need to work on. The year, I have built up my daily mediation time, read over 14 books so far, started to learn UI design and much more. Part of successfully reaching goals, is the habits that I have build around them. For instance, I set weekly calendar reminders to check in on my goals + track my progress.
SETTING THE GOALS
It is also important to set goals that are tangible, it is hard to check off a goal that does not have a definite end or an achievable target -- this is where those SMART goals come in.
If you are not familiar with SMART goals, it starts for:
Specific (simple, sensible, significant).
Measurable (meaningful, motivating).
Achievable (agreed, attainable).
Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based).
Time bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive).
By using these guidelines for your goals, it makes it so that they are doable! Another important piece is to chunk big goals into small actionable items. For example, when I was building my website, I broke it down into 2 hour chunks of work so I could do a little piece everyday to finish it within the month -- this helps with making things not linger over your head.
ACCOUNTABILITY
A hardest part of setting goals is maintaining focus and discipline. The method I use to set goals helps with this and allows for me to check in + stay on track. For me, having check-ins on my calendar helps. My daily tracker has also proven to be extremely useful in the process of building these into life long habits.
CELEBRATING YOUR WINS
Now comes the fun, the #treatyoself past of goal setting. I like to have my reward match the type of goal that I accomplished -- this is also more for larger goals, not small monthly goals. If it is a fitness goal, buying a new pair of leggings, or for a business goal, I might treat myself to a mani. Your reward doesn’t have to be an item, it can also include the way you speak to yourself about your accomplishments.
