Yearly Goal Planning Made Simple: Tips for Success and Focus
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It is the start of a new year and that means goal planning! Are you a goal setter? I am! Although I had to find a new way to go about my goal setting. I never seemed to actually achieve my goals once I set them or I may only achieve one.
I like to write things down. I have tried to “write” things in a note app on my phone, but it is not the same as writing it on paper. I have always written my goals down, so that was not the problem. I am going to explain my way of goal planning and why it works.
Towards the end of December, I start planning my new year, both personally and professionally. So, how do I go about this?
Evaluate:
I start by looking back at the current year and asking myself these questions:
Did I achieve all the goals I set for myself this year? If not, why?
Are there goals that I did not achieve that I want to work on next year?
Were the goals that I did not achieve attainable?
After I have looked over my goals and answered these questions, I start by writing down any goals that I did not achieve in this year and want to achieve next year. Now I will start thinking about the upcoming year and I will ask myself these questions:
What do I want to achieve or accomplish in my business over the next year?
What do I want to achieve or accomplish in my personal life over the next year?
The answer to these questions will help me form new goals for the upcoming year.
Set Your Goals:
When setting goals, you want to make them specific. The more specific the better chance you have of achieving it. For example, one of my goals is to read 12 books this year, including bible studies. This is an extremely specific goal. I know that I want to read 12 books. I also know that if I complete a bible study, I can include it as one of my books.
Your goals should also be realistic. Let’s say that I wanted to read 100 books this year. For me this would not be realistic, no matter how bad I might want to do it, I know that I would not complete this goal. Now if I had weeks to spend reading and nothing else, I needed to do then maybe I could accomplish this.
Measurable & Attainable:
Now that you have set some goals you want to make sure they are measurable and attainable. How do you make sure they are measurable and attainable?
Let’s look at my example of reading 12 books in a year. I know that at the end of the year if I have read 12 books then I have completed the goal. It has a clear ending. Finish 12 books. Other goal examples that are measurable are: make $1200 a month by June, create 1 new product line, clean your bedroom from floor to ceiling and organize it.
I know that I can read 12 books in a year. I know that is an attainable goal. If you are currently making no money at your business, making $1200 a month by June may not be an attainable goal. You will want your goals attainable, so you do not set yourself up for failure. Come June if you are not making $1200 a month, how is that going to make you feel. A better goal may be making $1200 a month by the end of the year. This way you have more time to work up to the $1200. Bonus, if you start making that or more sooner then you will have really achieved your goal and you deserve a reward!
Write them Down:
Now that you have decided on your goals and that you should be able to achieve them by the end of the year you need to write them down. The very first few pages of my planner are for yearly goals. I have a space for each business and my personal goals. I write each goal under the appropriate section. If you use a planner, I suggest writing your goals in it. If not get a notebook and write them down. You can always post them next to your desk or somewhere else that you can see them.
Break them Down:
Once I have my yearly goals set, I like to break them down even more. In my planner I have monthly goals. I will take my yearly goals and break them down by month. For example, read 1 book. This will be one of my goals every month to reach my yearly goal of read 12 books in a year. My monthly goals are located at the beginning of each month in my planner.
I also take breaking them down one step further. I break down my monthly goal into weekly goals/to do list. Going back to my book example, let’s say there are 40 chapters in the book I am going to read. There are 4 weeks in the month. So, each week I’ll read 10 chapters.
I know that there are many ways to go about planning your goals for the year. This is what I have found the easiest for me. I have been using this method for a few years and I have accomplished more by doing it this way then how I was going about it before. I hope you have the same success!
Stay positive, stay motivated, and make today amazing!
With love and encouragement,
**P.S.
Check out our yearly planner to have a place to write your goals down!
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