Can you believe we’re at the end of 2020?!
The start of a new year always seems to bring a freshness to life and business; an opportunity to evaluate different aspects of life and create a vision for the new year.
The trap I see so many entrepreneurs fall into, they either
- Don’t take any time at all to set goals and define what they want
or
2. Their goals are more like fluffy wishes – resolutions, if you will – rather than intentional plans.
I believe goals are so much more than wishes.
Goals have purpose, and goals have intention.
In this episode of The Imperfect Pursuit I share all about HOW you can set goals for the new year, as well as a few extra tips to ensure your goals are strategic.
I’d encourage you to listen to the full episode, but if you are more of a reader than a listener, here is the run down:
5 Steps to Setting Goals for the New Year:
1. Do a goal ‘brain dump’
Literally write down EVERYTHING you hope to accomplish in 2021. Either good old pen and paper or even something as simple as the notes in your phone is fine too. This will give you the opportunity to regonise all of the desires in your heart. I bet that some of these things you hadn’t even considered until you thought about it!
2. Pick 2-5 focussed goals
Often goal setting stops at the goal brain dump list, but this is where you can actually dive a little deeper. Out of your goal brain dump list, I want you to pick a few focussed goals. This might be a sales goal or profit goal, perhaps a number of sales of clients, maybe an exciting press feature, or anything else that you really want to work toward! These focussed goals will keep you, well, focussed! And these will shape many of your decisions throughout the year.
3. Work backwards! (create mini goals)
It’s no use setting this bold focussed goals if you don’t really know how you’re going to make it happen. In this step, you are going to essentially reverse-engineer your goals and create mini goals (or ‘action items’). What actions do you need to take in order to reach your focussed goals? You will do this a TONNE of times for your various goals and there will likely be many mini goals pointing to one focussed goal.
4. If possible, plan the timing for your goals
This may not be possible for all of your goals, but it’s important to carve out some time to think about the timing of your goals. What does your year look like? Are there parts of the year that make sense for some of these goals, i.e a big launch? Can you give yourself a deadline for any of your goals? Can you plan some goals for particular quarters? Some goals, like a 2021 sales goal, will of course have a deadline of December 31st 2021, however you may be able to map out specific timing for some of your goals. Think about all of these things, and put it into your calendar.
5. Categorise your remaining goals
This personally what I do with my goal brain dump list. Once I know my focussed goals and mini goals, I like to try and categorise the goals in my brain dump list. Some of the categories I use for my goal-setting are financial, team, social media, press, brand/website, projects/launches, backend/organisation, education/training. These categories help me to get clear on what I want to focus on for those various aspects in my business.
Extra goal-setting tips
1. Keep your goals SMART
I probably don’t need to explain what SMART goals are – but if you’re interested be sure to listen to the episode!
2. Set business goals AND personal goals
If you’re an ambitious entrepeneur like me, it’s easy to set goals for your business but often your personal life
3. Tell someone your goals
Find someone (or someones!) that you can SHARE your goals with. Whether it be a friend, partner, mentor, business bestie, telling someone what you hope to achieve is going to provide the extra support and accountability to keep you motivated.
Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of The Imperfect Pursuit Podcast. I’d love to know — what was your biggest takeaway? Head to my Instagram to join the conversation!
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