Setting new years goals is nothing new and forgetting those goals or not following through isn't new either. In fact most people forget about their goals by St. Patrick's day.
But, in business, if you want it to grow, pay off debt, or any other goal, you can’t just work on it for a month or two and expect results by the end of the year. You need to stick with it and work on it all 12 months. How do you stick with them? You have to set SMARTY goals.
SMARTY Goals
SMARTY is an acronym for the six elements that need to be in each goal we set. If you follow this acronym you can accomplish your goal!
S: Specific
Our goals need to be specific. As an example, our goal could be I want lots of money in my business. But to make the goal more specific say I want $500,000 in sales by a set time.
M: Measurable
We need to be able to track our progress and determine if we need to tweak anything. Which also, means to follow up on it regularly. And P.S., it means we need to write it down.
A: Attainable
Can we even reach our goal? If we can’t, then we’ll soon forget about it. But if we can attain it, then we’ll work towards it.
R: Relevant
It needs to be relevant to us and our overall vision or purpose. Is our goal relevant to what we are trying to achieve?
T: Timely
Arbitrary goals are rarely accomplished. We need to give our goal a timer or a deadline.
Y: Yours
Any goal you have you need to be fully committed. We work harder for things we decide to do. If we are given goals, they feel more like quotas and we turn on them and make them the enemy. Again, we work more efficiently and effectively for things we decide to do.
Review:
So, when you are setting your goals evaluate your goals against the SMARTY list:
Is it specific?
Can it be measured? How am I going to measure it? How often am I going to check in on it?
Can I achieve it?
Is it relevant? How does this impact my vision?
Does it have a timer or deadline?
How committed am I to this goal? Was I given this goal or did I set it?
If you cannot answer each question with affirmative confidence then you need to work through your goal again. Follow these steps and you will accomplish your new years goal!