Each December, we reflect on the past year and what we can do to improve in the coming months. We take stock of what goals we achieved and where we fell short. Come January, we promise ourselves to be more productive; whether it’s at work in order to earn a promotion, to eat healthier, or to open our own business. Instead of being discouraged again next December, let’s make 2017 different, and achieve our goals with the help of the following tips. Together we can set realistic objectives and create actionable plans to keep ourselves accountable.
Set Realistic Goals
While New Year’s resolutions don’t always have to be serious and boring, they do have to be realistic. For example, you can challenge yourself to travel more, but don’t set yourself up to fail by promising yourself to travel the world in the next 366 days (2017 is a leap year!)
You know yourself better than anyone else, so only you know what goals you are capable of fulfilling, and what is and is not realistic. If you have set similar resolutions in the past, but never managed to keep them, consider a different plan that may be easier to achieve.
Minimize the Number of Goals
A new year offers a new beginning, so it may be tempting to set out to accomplish numerous goals, but be sure to plan with caution. It’s a better strategy to commit to a few goals, and truly concentrate on achieving them, than to set many objectives and not have the time to accomplish any of them.
For example, if you pledge to lose 10 pounds this year, this will require you to spend time cooking healthy meals and dedicating more personal time to exercising. Don’t also promise yourself to volunteer more, as both goals require you to commit time after work and on weekends, and you may experience a burnout and not accomplish both successfully. Prioritize your free time and see what goals fit best into your schedule for the best success rate.
Create Actionable Plans
Once you make your resolutions, it’s easy to procrastinate. To avoid postponing your goals, create actionable plans to keep yourself accountable. It can be advantageous to create general milestones, and divide them into individual steps that can be tallied at the end of each month. This way, you will stay reminded daily of what is required to achieve your goal.
For example, if your resolution is to open your own business this year, the first month can be dedicated to doing market research on the competition. The second month can be spent creating marketing materials, and the third committed to obtaining proper business licenses.
To keep motivating yourself, make sure you visualize your progress by writing down your goals and the steps necessary to achieve them. The more items you are able to cross off your list, the more motivated you will be to keep going!
Is better budgeting one of your 2017 goals? Check out our Business Budget Smart Sheet to help you easily plan, track, and visualize spending.
