The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at
a time - Abraham Lincoln
It's amazing the amount of people that ask me how I do it all,
care for my 2 kids, keep some kind of order in my house, 'me' and
'us' time, start and run a new business.....
Looking at it on paper it does seem endless but I'm really not
that amazing…well not really!
My secret? I love lists! I write lists and set goals for every
aspect of my life and it honestly helps me to get to where I want
to be, including living a stress(ish) free life!!
Whether you're setting professional, personal or business goals,
documenting everything you need to accomplish and monitoring your
goals to see how you're doing, means you are more likely to achieve
what you need to.
It's all about being SMART!! It's simple
really.
Specific - make sure you are clear on the detail
and what you want to accomplish. The more specific you can be the
more likely you are to accomplish the goal.
Measurable - define how you can measure your
goals so you can monitor the progress and know you've succeeded.
When you measure your progress, you stay on track. Think about: How
much? How many?
Achievable - be confident that you can actually
achieve the goal, make sure it's attainable. Are you willing to
achieve the goal?
Realistic - be sure that you have the
capabilities to reach the goal. Are you the right person for the
goal?
Timely - Set deadlines and timeframes to keep on
track and make sure they are realistic to allow yourself to
accomplish the goals set.
My top tips for achieving success with
Goals
1. Write them down: This might sound obvious but
writing down your goals gives you clarity and helps turn the idea
into reality. Write your goals on paper, enter them onto an
excel document or into MS Project...it doesn't matter where you
write them down but as long as you can revisit the list of goals
and their tasks continuously, you will achieve success.
2. Plan wisely: Make sure your goal is something
you really want and not just something that sounds good or is
something everyone else is doing. You can achieve any goal when you
plan your steps/tasks wisely and establish a time frame that is
realistic.
3. Stay Positive: If you set a goal knowing that
you probably won't succeed then you won't!! Being positive will
keep you motivated and create a much higher likelihood of achieving
your goals.
4. Challenge yourself: Don't set goals that you
know are going to bore you and therefore you will lose interest
fast. You need to challenge your mind and in turn this will keep
you motivated.
5. Congratulate yourself: Don't dismiss your
achievements, recognise them and
congratulate yourself!!! Some self praise never did anyone
harm!
So why not take a moment to consider whether your goals are SMART,
and how well you are working towards achieving each goal.
And remember every small step will take you closer to your desired
outcome.
