If you’re like me you have this fantasy of planning ahead, getting ultra-focused, and batching tons of work in advance. Maybe for you it’s a reality, but for me it usually doesn’t quite come together how I’d imagined!
#Goals.
Goal-setting for 2017 was no exception. I had originally set aside December to plan out the year ahead but I didn’t quite get done what I anticipated. I didn’t even order a business planner until January 6th! But, I’m giving myself grace… It’s never too late to dream and scheme, right?
The planner that I settled on to help during this phase of my business, is the Conquer Your Year planner by Natalie MacNeil. I really like how she divides up the year into 12-week “sprints.” I know for me it can be easy to get overwhelmed with all the different directions and ideas taking up space in my brain, but this template has really helped me focus.
Don’t be afraid to switch it up.
For my first sprint, I took the time to flesh everything out and create action steps, but I found that three weeks in, I was frustrated with my progress. So, I re-evaluated and decided to totally change up my focus and implement a new sprint. I immediately felt better about the change. Take note- it’s okay to adjust your goals if they’re not working for you!
Keep it short.
Recently, I listened to a podcast episode with one of my favorite keepin’ it real, tell-it-like-it-is business coaches, Carrie Wilkerson. On the Go Giver podcast she discussed the importance of short-term goals. Carrie stated, “We get so lost in the year, that we haven’t focused on the day.” She emphasized, “The days matter.” Carrie encouraged setting 6-12 week goals to help hold ourselves accountable and realize that our choices each day are important to getting to where we want to be.
If we have some idea of where we want to be by the end of the year, we may feel that we have plenty of time to do whatever we want to get done. We then make choices to do other things that aren’t getting us closer to our goals, because we feel that there’s always tomorrow. Next thing we know, it’s the end of the year and we may not be as far along as we planned to be.
Break it down.
In sum:
- Break down big theme goals into smaller steps and actionable tasks.
- Set a deadline of three months or less. Use this 90-day cheat sheet, if you need a template.
- If frustrated, change the plan.
What goals are you working on in 2017?