You probably noticed that we’re less than 2 months away from the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020! It’s the time of year we’re either looking back at the beginning of 2019 or looking ahead to 2020.
This is also a time many of us say “oh well! I guess I didn’t achieve my goals this year…maybe I’ll do better next year,” and they spend the last 2 months of the year, maintaining the status quo or pre-planning for next year.
While it’s important to start your next year’s plan early, you also don’t have to put any unfinished goals from this year on the shelf for eternity! We encourage you to finish your year off right by reflecting on not only what you’ve accomplished this year, but in taking steps to finish any remaining 2019 goals you have left.
Here are 5 steps you can take for achieving goals in 2019
1: Commit to yourself
It’s far too easy to sit back and just enjoy all those holiday parties and events over the next two months and wait until January 1 to start working on your goals again. Before you read any further in this article you need to first make a commitment to yourself. A commitment to achieving goals.
Do you really want to achieve your goals? Are you willing to dedicate yourself and your resources to achieving goals?
We don’t want to be a Ms.Patty Party-Pooper and tell you NOT to enjoy your holiday season! By all means, go out and enjoy the festive season! What we are saying is that we want you to commit to achieving whatever goals you feel are important and attainable…which we’re going to talk about next.
2. Achieving Goals: Prioritize what’s important
Depending on how long your goals list is, you may not really have time to complete them all before the fireworks start on Dec 31, especially if you want to attend a couple of holiday parties too! If this is the case, look at your list and determine what are the most important for you and your business.
Here are a few tips to help decide which goals to focus on (take the ones below that you resonate with):
- Is this goal easily attainable in the next 2 months?
- Is this goal going to move my business forward?
- Is this goal related to the holiday season so it should be done now?
- Do I have the resources (financial and personnel) to complete it?
- Will I feel good having accomplished this goal?
- Can I say no to another task or goal in order to accomplish this goal?
Ask yourself all these questions about each goal on your list. If you get a resounding “YES,” add that goal to your shortlist. From your shortlist, prioritize the top 3-5 as your final goals list for 2019.
Don’t toss any goals that didn’t make the short list! The world isn’t (hopefully) going to end on Jan 1, so you can roll any de-prioritized goals to early 2020.
3. Make a plan to Achieve Goals
Now that you have your short list of goals you know you can accomplish in the next 2 months, we need a plan of action. Goals are fantastic to have in your business, but if they just stay as “goals” with no actionable steps, then they’re worthless.
Let’s say you shortlisted three goals between now and New Year’s Eve. Do you need to be actively working towards all three at the same time? Maybe you spend 2 weeks really focusing on each goal?
Then break each goal down into actionable, trackable steps. This way you can break larger projects down into more manageable chunks and get to check off each step as you accomplish it! It’s a great way to keep you on track and motivated.
There are many apps and tools you can use to plan your projects and map out these steps. Several are available as smartphone apps (so you have access to them when you’re on the go). Some of our favourites are Workflow, Trello, Clear, and Microsoft Outlook Tasks.
When choosing which tool to use, remember it doesn’t have to be complicated! A simple to-do list app might be enough for you. When you start adding team members and multiple projects you could look at more robust systems with bigger learning curves if you need more detailed tracking and organization.
4. Stay Accountable to Your Goals
We’ve all made goals we didn’t follow through with. More often than not, we didn’t achieve these goals because we didn’t tell anyone what our goals were so we had no accountability to complete them.
You have a 65% higher chance of achieving your goals if you share them with someone and a 95% chance of following through when you have an accountability partner and regular check-ins with that person (according to the American Society of Training and Development).
Those numbers are pretty convincing! That’s why we suggest finding a business colleague, mentor, or coach to share your goals with. You could also join a business mastermind group and be accountable to a small group of people, not just one person!
When choosing your accountability partner(s), you shouldn’t just pick a random person up off the street. Make sure it’s someone you can trust because you want feedback that is honest and thorough. Sharing similar values is also often important. Choose an accountability partner who you can commit to and whom you wouldn’t want to let down.
5. Remember to celebrate Achieving Your Goals
When you reach your goals, take a moment out of your busy schedule to celebrate! A celebration not only allows us to pat ourselves on the back for a job well done but helps to motivate us for the next goal on our plate.
So now go forth and commit to prioritizing your goals, creating an actionable and realistic plan, develop a solid accountability partner(s), and celebrate each time you reach a goal or milestone.
Be sure to save enough time to run your day-to-day business activities and set aside a little time for fun too. They are both necessary for keeping your business afloat and your mind energized!
One Last Thing…
Don’t forget that with My Business Skills memberships you get access to courses, resources, services, masterminds, and individual coaching. Learn more about our membership offerings or schedule a free 15min chat with our team if you have questions.