Day 4 - Yearly Goals

I have lofty goals. For myself, my family and my business. I spend a bit of time at the end of each year thinking about what I would like to see, do, create, and be in the year ahead.

Some goals are big - walk 170 miles across Scotland in 14-ish days (AGAIN!)
Some are not - spend quality time each day with my family (notice quality - not quantity)

No matter the objective, there are a few basic rules to follow when creating your goals and working to obtain them.

Set Goals That Motivate You. When you set goals for yourself, it is important that they motivate you. Make sure they are important to you and that there is value in achieving them.

Set SMART Goals

Specific. In order to set goals you can reach, you need to make them as specific as possible.
Measurable. How will you know you have reached it?
Achievable. Make sure it's within your control to obtain. For example, based on where we are as a species, setting a goal of living on Mars by 2018 is highly unrealistic.
Realistic. Again, think living on Mars.
Timed. Set a date or month in which you want it to be done. You will work backward from this date to obtain your results.

Put them in Writing. Using the Annual Goals section of your "Year at a Glance" calendar is the perfect place for a Goal list. You will look at this calendar multiple times each month. Get into the habit of reading your Annual Goal each time you are there.

For those of us that want to dial down into the details and track progress separately from your monthly or weekly pages, I would recommend creating goal planning worksheets. Try something like this:

This is the Goals worksheets I created for my 2020 Planner. I am focusing on 2 goals, which I will break down into HOW’s and will create tasks for each. Then there are the trackers which I will use to monitor progress :)

Reference them often. As you set up each month you will be adding tasks and events that align with working toward your goals.

Stick With It! A goal is a dream with a plan and a finish line. If you can dream it and plan it, you only need the disciple to obtain it.

Here are just a few samples that I have curated and saved to my Pinterest board. They can be found in various social media apps like Pinterest, Instagram, and even found through Google searches. Find one that suits your taste or make one of your own.

Picture 1 is where these goals should be added to your Journal.