So Q1 2017 is coming to an end. Are your New Year’s Resolutions now a distant memory or are your plans for the year still on track?
Either way, my goal with this article (no pun intended!) is to help by sharing my own personal experiences in setting goals over the years, both what has worked and what has not.
1 – Keep your goals small in number but big in ambition
Stephen Covey (in the “7 habits of highly effective people”) talks about “Roles & Goals” and having a maximum of 7; Susan Jeffers (in “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway”) talks about a 3×3 grid, 9 areas.
In my experience, that’s too many areas. Personally I have 1, 3, 5 and 10 year goals in the following areas:
- Personal
- Family
- Business / Work
- Contribution
That’s enough areas without overwhelming me so that nothing gets done!
You’ll have other goals, but the big important goals should be your focus each week.
2 – Use Picture Goals to keep you inspired
Once you’ve listed your goals, get an an A2 sized piece of card from your local stationers and find some awesome pictures that embody the essence of each of your goals.
If you want a Ferrari, go visit a garage and sit in one to see what it feels like. A trip of a lifetime, or round the world tour, get brochures from travel agents or print off images you find online. You’ve got to feel the goal like it’s already arrived. Spend a few minutes looking at them and absorbing yourself in the pictures every morning and every evening.
I have a picture of my goals on my laptop and mobile phone backdrop, so I can’t miss them!
3 – Chunk down your goals into weekly mini-targets wherever possible
One great thing about training for marathons is that you have a training plan, whether that’s an 8 week plan for seasoned runners or 24 week plan for those attempting their first marathon. It’s no different with any other goal. Think about the end result and work backwards. And have some flexibility in your plans – don’t beat yourself up if you miss part of the plan, just make sure the big milestones are on track.
An example of my own is reading The Bible – it’s a large collection of books (60+) spread across a couple of thousand years (approximately!), so rather than get put off by the 1000+ pages, I aim to read 3 pages per day (sometime more, sometime less). I’ve now finished The New Testament and well into The Old Testament.
4 – Surround yourselves with people who are where you want to be or on a similar journey and who will push you to achieve your goals
As Tony Robbins says “Who you spend time with you will become”, so spend that time wisely!
5 – Delegate any task that is low skill and low interest to you
Washing, Ironing, Gardening, DIY, fixing cars; whatever activity doesn’t float your boat, start thinking about how you can simplify, reduce or delegate the time you currently spend on them and focus on the activities that you love doing.
6 – Cut out 1 hour of TV, Facebook whatever you spend a lot time doing for little reward
That is 2 months of full time work per year! I’m not saying don’t have down-time or fun. Just make sure it’s not taking over your life, or a big part of it. Life if short.
The bottom line…
Think big and shoot for the stars with your goals. If you hit the moon, what a result that will be.
People often underestimate what they can achieve in 10 years but overestimate what they’ll achieve in 1. Just scroll back through your photos on your phone to see what you’ve achieved already!
Now start with step 1 and start smashing those 2017 Goals!
If you have any questions or would like some advice, please do get in touch and I’ll do my best to help.
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