It is easy to get discouraged or sidetracked when shortly after making goals the newness wears off and things aren’t going as planned. It is even easier to become frustrated when you feel like you have not accomplished anything because your goals are too detailed, too complicated, or too unrealistic. How do you actually meet these business goals?
It is suggested to start off making two types of goals: quarterly and annually. Store these goals on a spreadsheet, your calendar, or your system you use to track tasks. Create goals for the quarter at the beginning of the period, thinking of what you would like to accomplish by the end of that quarter. When those three months come to an end, check off what has been completed and move what you haven’t completed, to the next quarter’s task list. The process is quite similar for the annual goals. At the beginning of the year envision what you would like to accomplish by the end of the year, and rollover the tasks that were incomplete from the previous year.
Goals are not a race or contest with yourself, they are simply things you would like to complete. Try to schedule a “check in” time with yourself on your calendar halfway through each quarter and the year. Doing this helps you to see what progress you have made and review any goals you may have possibly forgotten amid the everyday grind.
When the end of your quarter or year arrives and you see a goal on your list not completed, do not be discouraged. This is the perfect time to reevaluate and see why it was not accomplished. Was it overcomplicated? Unrealistic? Were there unforeseen circumstances impossible to prepare for? Then, reset your thought process about your goals. Goals are just tasks. Make them reasonable. Make them quantifiable. And if you do not complete them, move them to the next list of tasks. And be sure to congratulate yourself for the successes you did achieve!
