Set and Accomplish Your Goals: 5 Easy Steps
Posted on 08. Mar, 2010 by Adam in Business, Entrepreneurship
In business and in life, we all need goals if we want to be any better off than we are right now. There are a million different methods for setting and accomplishing goals, which is great, as not every method works for everyone. The following five step process is easy to implement and will help many get from here to there whatever your goals may be.
1. Get some clarity
To be effective, goals must be clear, concise, specific, and measurable. Be very clear on what you want to accomplish, the date by which you will complete the goal, and how you’ll know you’ve accomplished it. It isn’t enough to say, “I want to have the ‘go-to’ blog about do-it-yourself web deisgn.” How will you know you’ve accomplished that goal? More importantly, what does it really mean to have the ‘go-to blog?’ A more effective goal would be, “By May 1, 2010, my blog will be first in the Google search results for the term ‘DIY web design.’” Of course it’s also important that your specific goal is realistic. If you’ve just started a blog on Internet marketing and want it to be 1st in the search results within 30 days, you might need to reassess. The key is to have a crystal clear picture of what you want and by when you want it. Put that down on paper, then go to step 2.
2. Break it down
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! For every major goal, there are almost always smaller goals that must be met first. For example, you’ve got to get to 10,000 RSS subscribers before you hit 40,000. If your goal is to bank $50,000 by October 1st, figure out when it will be realistic to have reached $40,000, $25,000, and $10,000. Set those dates and shoot for each one, with the larger goal always in your mind, but with the “sub-goal” as your short range target and primary focus, until it’s hit – then celebrate, and move to the next one. This technique helps to keep you from being overwhelmed with huge goals. If your goal is $1 million in sales in three years, and the most you’ve made to date is $800, there will be a part of your mind saying, “A million dollars is so much money. How will I ever do that?” Breaking your huge goal into smaller goals helps your mind accept the possibilities, and it will help you stay on track too.
3. Cross the bridges – before you get to them
No matter what goal you set for yourself or your business, there are bound to be challenges and obstacles along the way. If not, your goal isn’t big enough. While you can’t plan for every possible contingency, you can probably foresee the most likely complications that might prevent or at least slow your progress. Working through the “what-ifs” now will make them much easier to overcome when they actually do occur. Let’s say you write a blog on extreme mountain-biking, and you have a goal to reach 20,000 subscribers by August of this year. You’ve been injured before, and know that it’s not uncommon for those in your sport to be knocked out of commission every now and then. If you want to reach your goal, you’ve got to post relevant, interesting articles often, so what happens if you break both wrists and aren’t able to type for weeks or months? Having considered and planned for that possibility, you have a reserve of several articles on the ready. Because you want your posts to be timely, you also decide to begin right now forming relationships with other bloggers in your arena and asking them to occasionally guest blog. Now, if you do need to be away, you won’t be panicking about losing readers while you’re recovering from your injuries.
4. Aaaand… Action!
It’s been said that a goal without a plan is just a dream. In breaking down your goal and planning for contingencies, you have formed a plan that will carry you from where you are to where you want to be. Now, all that’s left is taking the necessary actions to get you to your goal. For this, it might be helpful to take step 2, and break your goals down even further. Ask yourself, “What actions do I need to take each day that will get me closer to my goal?” Taking action daily toward accomplishing your goals will keep you focused on the goal as well as on those smaller goals that will get you to the big one. Don’t let a day pass where you don’t take some step, no matter how small, toward your objective.
5. Assess as you progress
As you move toward your goals, it is important to check to see if you’re on the right track. If you were traveling from Los Angeles to New York by car, you wouldn’t consider taking the trip without a map. In goal achievement, your plan is your map. But you don’t just look at your map before leaving Los Angeles and then put it away. You must check it periodically to make sure you’re still headed in the right direction. It’s just as important to assess your progress toward your goals. This can be accomplished a number of ways. One way that works well for many is with a wall calendar. If your goal is based on a number (subscribers, money earned, search ranking, etc.) write where you are each day on your calendar. This will go a long way to helping you stay focused and on track. You might also notice trends that you can manage to, or a need to adjust either your goal or your methods of reaching it. And if you find you’re lost, don’t be afraid to ask for directions!
As Brian Tracy puts it, “Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.” Whether you use this process or something else, the important thing is that you set goals for yourself and for your business. Share your thoughts in the comments. Which methods do you use to set or track your goals?
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30 Responses to “Set and Accomplish Your Goals: 5 Easy Steps”
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Agent Deepak
08. Mar, 2010
Good tips. I have been a little aimless for a while. This will help.
Credit Girl
08. Mar, 2010
Great point! Sometimes we just hit our goal and quit because we’ve already hit it. Re-assessing our goals is really important because it continues to keep you aligned and will also allow you to see areas fit for improvement.
Ballet Moves
08. Mar, 2010
Some great advice, especially about re-evaluation. Quite often I find that when I set a goal, I set it quite low (perhaps due to some cynicism). I’ll find that I achieve the goal quicker than I’d anticipated, surprise myself, get cocky, then do nothing.
A great article. Thanks :)
Dan Rather Watermelon
08. Mar, 2010
Great advice that anybody should follow. If you want to be a successful blogger or internet marketer in general, number 4 is one of the biggest steps! Helpful reminder for me. But of course before you take action you need to know what you’re doing, first.
Andrew@BloggingGuide
09. Mar, 2010
I totally agree with number 2. Short-term goals are easier to accomplish rather than long-term goals, so, break it down….
used tires
09. Mar, 2010
Great points. Proper assessment and practical dissemination of your goals is very important.
Till then,
Jean
CandleQueen
09. Mar, 2010
#2 is the best. I had to learn this the hard way. It helps to set smaller, more attainable goals, but the key is to keep them point toward your bgger goals. Write them down if you have to.
Cash Genie
09. Mar, 2010
Great whole points but I would say that none of these are easy and that is why we say that it is so difficult to reach the goals. For sure things would be easy if one is able to follow all five points.
teknoloji
09. Mar, 2010
Most importantly, fight with procrastination.
James Johnson
09. Mar, 2010
Third item is most relevant to me. I remember the many times I stopped the project halfway because I was not prepared to overcome the obstacles I had. I missed several months of blogging because I was not preparing articles ahead of time and I was hospitalized for a month. I could have managed better if I had guest bloggers or had articles ahead of time. A mentor from the Mentor club, even expressed regret, he could have helped if he knew earlier.
Jaguar Service
09. Mar, 2010
It looks so easy while reading but when we come to the actual situation, it is really difficult to set and achieve goals.
Better Parenting
09. Mar, 2010
What do you do when you don’t know how to gain clarity for a certain goal? If ranking for ‘diy web design’ was your goal, but you simply have no basis for estimating the effort required to achieve the goal, what should you do? Particularly if you don’t know anyone else who can personally advise you.
Those are the situations where I find myself most frustrated. When I’m dealing with a goal that I don’t fully understand, I feel almost powerless to complete it. I’ll still engage in the course of action that I think is best, but I wonder about the possible inefficiency to my approach.
Kevin Latmore
10. Mar, 2010
Another good post as Usual. It always amazes me how few people REALLY take goal setting seriously. The results are in and all the experts agree, that the upside is so great compared to those who have no or poorly thought out goals.
If you don’t aim for nothing that is what you will hit. A big fat NOTHING. lol
Email Delivery
10. Mar, 2010
@ Jaguar
Yes I agree with you that it is really to read these steps but very hard to follow but still if you have the dedication you can do all of these :)
Umbro England
10. Mar, 2010
like my granpa used to say ” that kid has a lot of quitting in him” I never finish anything thta’s teh truth
Laptop Briefcases
10. Mar, 2010
I think a lot of people don’t properly set goals. Many people generalize their goals and only think of the end result. They don’t plan out each individual action that needs to be done to get to that goal. As a result, those goals may look too distant and unachievable.
Consolidation School Loan
11. Mar, 2010
Setting goals is very important, not just in Internet marketing, but in life in general… so excellent motivational post, well done!
how to start a blog
11. Mar, 2010
#1 is equally important – begin with the end in mind, and keep that vision as your progress. It will help you stay motivated and on track.
Web Design Beach
11. Mar, 2010
Very well written. All steps mentioned are really important for making the success, and every one adds up to another. Implementing all together can’t make bad results.
Email Delivery
11. Mar, 2010
Thanks for compiling this useful steps in achieving our goals. I’ll try this and I hope it will work out.
Wall Decals
11. Mar, 2010
Thanks for the tips on Goals. I have been reading Raymond Aaron’s book “Double Your Income Doing What You Love” he talks a lot about goals. His advice is to set 3 levels for each goal. So that no matter what you will fell some success.
Doyles Room Rakeback
14. Mar, 2010
thanks for this article, it was just the boost I needed. I don’t think anyone should underestimate the importance of your first point. with all the will in the world you can go about your tasks, but if your goals are not clear then you can work hard and not achieve what you want.
Traffic Ultimatum
14. Mar, 2010
Very good tips. I will be a successful online SEO with the use of these tips…
Dress Sandals
22. Mar, 2010
@Better Parenting: That is a common problem when setting goals related to things like marketing and seo. You may not know exactly what goes into a particular goal. Still, you should be able to break it down into some smaller more achievable goals. For example, you could have a goal to get a certain keyword on the 1st page of Google and then later have a goal to reach the top 5. Also you can base goals around getting a certain number of links each month or some other measurable goal. You just don’t want to overly generalize and make your goal to simply improve rankings.
Jane @ Limoges Boxes
11. Apr, 2010
Setting a short and long term goal is essential to help you see whether you are accomplishing something or not. Short term goal are like pieces of the big puzzle that is called long term goal. I think that is one way to clarify goals, an addition to what Adam have mentioned in #1.
Migraine Causes
17. Apr, 2010
Deciding and focusing in your goal always ends with achieving it.
chalikovas
20. Apr, 2010
Great Tips. I like this information and it is very useful. Thanks for sharing
Leaflet Delivery
04. Dec, 2010
I’d Forgotten that a goal is just a dream with a deadline, thanks for reminding me
LimogesBoxCollector
06. Feb, 2011
Prioritization is key. When tasks are done in the proper order and in a timely manner, success comes as a result.
Red Fish Marketing
17. Feb, 2011
Great Blog! These are helpful tips. Procrastination is one of my talent that I really have to deal with.