“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” We’re all aware of this old adage and have faced situations without a plan where the results were not what we intended. Planning isn’t easy and many times we elect to allow fate to guide our path and just hope things will go our way.
In my professional career, I’ve often been reminded that “hope” is not a strategy. Those who have a clear sense of what they want will always have a better chance of succeeding, but putting a plan in place can seem like a daunting task. Winning is never easy, but if we do the work beforehand, it can make the ride to success a lot more achievable. Sometimes all it takes is a starting point.
Many of us like to start the year off with resolutions, but sometimes that’s about as far as our personal planning goes. We might aim for common goals such as eating healthier, exercising more, or being better with financial decisions. How many times have we abandoned our resolutions shortly after their onset and say something like “I’ll try again next year”?
The intent behind our resolutions is often genuine, but without a plan there is little chance of success. Sure, you can count on luck, sheer determination, or even a miracle to help achieve your goals. But doesn’t that bring us back to hope being our strategy? I have found that writing down goals to be instrumental in achieving my aims for not just the year ahead, but for my entire life. I call this my “Blueprint for Success.”
I have worn many hats over both my career and in my personal life. Currently, I’m an entrepreneur, account executive, podcast host, performance coach, business advisor, angel investor and a breathwork facilitator. Each practice requires a specific amount of planning to effectively manage my time. I constantly find myself either working on my own Blueprint for Success or working with others on their plans to help them succeed.
I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to work with business executives, lawyers, yoga instructors, engineers, teachers, and students from all walks of life. I’ve found that everyone, regardless of their profession, could use some level of help with goal planning and organization in their lives.
Many people think you have to start on day 1 of the year, but there’s really no bad time to start planning. What’s needed is a little guidance to get started. Here are the 5 tips that you should keep in mind if you’re looking to put a plan in place for yourself.
1. Create SMART Goals. There are plenty of resources online that can help you understand what SMART goals are and how to create them. I’ll just list them out here and let you search online if you wish to explore them further.
a. Specific – Be clear in what you are trying to achieve and avoid vague declarations
b. Measurable – Make sure your goal is trackable
c. Attainable – Work towards a goal this is challenging but possible
d. Relevant – Find goals that will make in impact in your life in an area that is important to you
e. Time Bound – Give yourself a deadline
2. Use micro goals and don’t discount the importance of milestones. Once you have your goals in place, try to break each one down into smaller goals. This way, you have milestones that may be easier to achieve, but will ultimately lead you to your end goal. Having a big lofty goal can seem daunting. By using a micro goals strategy, you can make it feel more achievable and celebrate small wins as you progress to your ultimate goal. I use a quarterly system, so I can review my goals regularly. If I meet my goal, I make sure to celebrate that accomplishment. If I don’t meet a goal, I usually make adjustments to the next milestone goal to ensure I can be on track for my annual goal, while also learning where and why I might have fallen short.
3. Allow time for reflection and utilize Quarterly Personal Reviews (QPRs) – Goals aren’t quite like a Ronco oven where you can just set it and forget it. It’s important for you to revisit goals on a regular basis to track progress and stay focused. Checking your goals frequently allows you keep the most important things top-of-mind. Having a daily/weekly/monthly practice of revisiting your goals is a great way to help you stay on track. Schedule a quarterly personal review with an accountability partner (more on this in a moment) and do a deep dive into your goals and make adjustments as needed.
4. Allow for goals to be fluid. From the wise words of Bruce Lee – “Be Like Water.” Realize there is room for change as you progress. It’s important when you are reviewing your goals to allow for flexibility. The purpose of your goal is to improve some aspect of your life. Don’t give up on a goal because it’s too hard, but rather spend time reflecting on if the goal is realistic and still valid. Change is sometimes needed in order to succeed. Adjust as necessary, and be fluid.
5. Have an accountability partner. An accountability partner is a person who assists another person with keeping a commitment. We believe in our own abilities and sometimes think we don’t need others to help us succeed. While that can be true for some, goal execution is more successful with the support of another to stay motivated and remain accountable. Often, an accountability partner is there for moral support, to help brainstorm or overcome difficulties when working towards goals. It’s much more rewarding when you can accomplish your goals and help someone succeed with theirs. Give it a try and you’ll understand why 2 is always better than one when it comes to planning.
Those are my top 5 tips to get you started on goal planning. Remember, you can start at any point in time. Create milestones based off of when you get going. Even the process of creating your plans can take some time so don’t worry about arbitrary timelines and just get started whenever you can.
I hope these quick tips help you in your planning process and if you’re interested in hearing more details about goal planning, please check out the following podcast episodes from A-Z Talks for more tips, best practices and resources to help you in your planning journey.
A-Z Talks Season 2, Episode 1 – Blueprint to Success 2022 – New Year, Better You
