I don’t know about you, but everywhere I look right now I’m being reminded to set life goals for the year or to get planning or to think of new year's resolutions. Whether that is weight, health, finances, career, business etc etc etc, it can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you have not had the time to even think about the year ahead yet.
Fear not, in this episode I’m sharing the one thing you need to know about goal setting and planning that will make things a whole lot easier.
So if you would like to plan your goals for the year without having to take too much time out of your day to day life and work, then this episode is for you!
Are you ready? Then hit play above!
Links in this episode
Gary Keller book ‘The One Thing’
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Don’t worry, I have you covered...here are some of the key points!
There is a huge pressure to be super motivated, organised and ready for the new year with your annual, 90, 60, 30 and even 7 day goals set, or to have some clear resolutions to parrot out to everyone when they ask. But it’s ok if you haven’t yet. Yes, planning is important but it can be a little overwhelming to have it all forced down your neck all at one time.
The new year is a great chance to turn onto a new page and get on with making your one day goals happen, but it’s not the only time! You can decide to change or improve your life anytime throughout the year, so don’t feel pressured to make it all happen now! If you are not ready to think about the year ahead yet, then don’t worry if you don’t start planning until later in the month or even February. Remember, you are never behind, you are on your own schedule. Time is in your control and you can be as speedy or as considered as you want.
That all said, if you do want to set some goals and plan ahead it doesn’t need to be complicated or too in depth if that doesn't suit how your brain works. Sometimes a process looks so in depth that the very thought of it makes you want to put it off and do another day. I have had friends and clients tell me that they just don’t have time for goal planning. It seems like they will need to take hours and life is just too busy and I hear that!
I’ll let you into a secret, when you are setting and planning your own life goals YOU can choose how you plan. No one is going to tell you that what you are doing is wrong. So even if you are in a corporate job right now and have to follow the rules at work, outside in your own life you have the freedom to decide how you will plan your own life. If you work for yourself, then you set the rules in your working life as well, so despite all the experts telling you theirs is the way to plan, only you have the right to decide on how you do it.
Remember that when you are planning and setting goals you need to do what works for you, what feels right and most of all that you know you can accomplish.
So what is the one thing to keep in mind when planning and keeping to your annual goals?
The answer is Simplicity.
Your planning should never be more complicated than the goals themselves!
I am sure you have many thoughts in your head about how you will make your life better this year and are excited to get them all in motion. But take a pause, remember what happens every year.
We all get excited about our plans, set big goals for ourselves and start full of enthusiasm and motivation that this is going to be the year when you finally get it all done. Then by February, some of that motivation and positive mindset has worn off, wiped away by the realities of day to day life!
By March, a lot of the goals are either forgotten or we are feeling guilty about how far behind we are.
So you are going to keep it simple. Just have one goal! Yes, that’s right, one main goal. One goal that will move the dial, have the most impact and move you closer to your one day dreams. It may feel uncomfortable at first as you will want to do so much else, but how amazing would it be just to be focussing on one new goal. All your energy and mind power and available time are directed at one goal.
That doesn't mean you can’t also work on other things as well, but they will not be goals. They will not have deadlines or have any pressure to get them done. Unless you complete the one goal early and then you can choose another to promote to the one goal you work on.
I have mentioned before the Gary Keller book, the one thing. The one thing method gets you to think about the one thing you must do that day that will move the dial most for you in your life, career or business, and you can’t do anything else until its done. If other ideas occur to you, you can write them down to pursue later but not derail you.
If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet then go and grab it, it’s not a thick book so you can get through it quickly but it really gives you a great understanding of why focussing on just one thing at a time is so important. I’ll put a link to it in the show notes.
The book encourages you to ask yourself the question, “What's the ONE Thing I can do today such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?" ,
So let’s flip that to ask yourself “What’s the ONE GOAL I can set myself this year such that by achieving it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?"
Whatever your one goal is, it should be truly impactful, be in line with your dreams and values and be something you want to do! As a goal which has no pull towards it or motivation to work for it will never be reached.
When you have your goal set, you need to work out a simple structure on how you will achieve it, no process or tool is perfect so don’t feel pressured into anything. I have had friends and colleagues swear by a particular planner they have bought or tools they have used, but I have found it confusing or too much work to complete or just a waste of time.
For all you detailed planners out there, at the end of this podcast go and look up 90, 30 and 7 day planning which will help you plan how you will reach your goal right down to a daily level.
However, if you cringe at the very thought of that much detail, try this simple structure:
- Break your goal into 4 milestones or stages. You will work through these one after the other.
- Add a start and end date to each milestone. Even if you are using a simple structure you do need deadlines, that is not something you can escape!
- Plan when in your week you will work on this goal. This means that you will always have time in your diary to focus on your goal, even if the rest of the time you are busy.
- Add reminders of your goal dates and what goal you are working on into your weekly calendar and set reminders, which will keep the goal to the forefront of your mind.
Simple as that! At a basic level you just need deadlines, a reminder of those deadlines and time in which to do the work towards them.
The best structure is the one that works for you! If you are someone that loves planning to the tiniest detail, then do it and plan how you will reach them to the nearest hour! Simplicity itself depends on the person, what is simple to one is not simple to another!
But if you are someone who is more big picture oriented, don’t force yourself into something that does not work for you as you will either be super stressed, or will not keep to the plan at all. Keep things a bit broader and flexible to suit your lifestyle, circumstances and thought processes.
Finally, to keep things simple you need to have Singular focus - You can’t focus on one than more task at once. It’s a simple fact. Yes you can multitask if it involves tasks that you already know, but when you are working on something new, you have to do one thing at a time. Or you will end up in overwhelm and ultimately may not succeed completing any task well if you multitask.
Billionaire Jeff Bezos has said publicly that the secret to his success is his laser-like focus on one thing at a time. That does not mean he does not have multiple things on the go, but when he is working on something he blocks all else out. He will just focus on that one thing until it is done. He said “Rather than going back and forth from one task to the next, I multitask serially.”
So, when working towards your goal milestones, keep fully focussed on one task at a time.
The bottom line is..goal setting and planning does not need to be complicated or stressful or something you dread. You are in control of planning for your life goals, so let them fit into your life and how you like to work. You should never feel like they are imposed on you.
Decide on your goal and the structure to get there that works for you and get going!
Be kind to yourself and give yourself the best chance of success. Keep it simple!
That’s it for this episode, and remember, everyone deserves to live their passion, so get started this is your time!
Thanks so much for listening and if you would like to listen to more episodes, follow or subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, Google or Stitcher,
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