Goal Planning Productivity Recipe
There are two steps to achieving goals. The first is to actually set effective goals. The second is to do some serious goal planning. Without a clear plan on how you will achieve the goals you have set, you are like the ship in the ocean with a clear destination but no sail to get you there. In this recipe, Ill be sharing a great process to help you plan the goals youve already created.
Havent created any goals yet? Then start with the Goal Setting Worksheet here.
Ingredients
- Your written goals
- A goal planner like this one
- A calendar
- Reasonable bed time
Preparation (Prep Time: 5-10 min)
- Gather up all the ingredients.
- Set aside 1 to 2 hours on your calendar for the goal planning session.
- At the scheduled time, turn off all alerts, put your phone in airplane mode and make yourself unavailable.
Cooking (Cook Time: 2 to 5 hours.)
- Review your goal to determine if it is a SMART goal. Smart stands for specific, measurable, actionable, relevant and time bound.
- Determine what habits or commitments you need to make to achieve your goal.
- Evaluate why this goal is important to you and what benefits you will receive by achieving this goal.
- Determine the obstacles you may need to overcome to achieve this goal. Financial, time, mindset, people, etc
- Clarify the costs associated with achieving this goal. Financial, time, people Are you willing and able to pay the price?
- Determine what resources you will need to achieve this goal. Consider financial, time, knowledge, and people.
- Write out the next steps for taking action on your goals. Add these to your calendar.
- Outline the milestones along the way to achieving your goals. Add these to your calendar.
- Find an accountability partner that will help you stay committed to your goals.
Yield: One goal planned out. A goal planned out will save you time by helping you to stay focused.
Gourmet Tips:
Knowing why you typically dont achieve your goals will help you accomplish more and have greater success. One of the most common reasons I see is that most people set too many goals. When you focus on trying to achieve too much, you often end up going in circles rather than moving forward in any one direction. Choose no more than 3 goals at any one time and always be sure that you prioritize them. For example, if you want to get physically fit and you also want to get out of debt, you may be spinning your wheels when it comes time to decide if you will be joining a gym. This decision helps you achieve one goal but hurts the other. Which one is your top priority until achieved?
A well outlined plan and the right mindset will dramatically improve your chances of success when it comes to the goals you set for yourself.