How I Tackle Goal Setting for 2021 and Beyond!

 The way that I tackle goal setting each year is very deliberate, it involves:

  • Reflection on the past year
  • Goal setting
  • Goal tracking methods
Goals can be separated into distinct types:
  • Lifetime Goals
  • Acquisitional Goals
  • Professional Goals
  • Creative Goals
  • Annual Personal Goals
I personally combine professional goals with creative goals because my business is self publication of my creative work!

Lifetime Goals 

These are the goals you set to ensure this modern world of perpetual busy-ness doesn't eat you alive! Ask yourself:
  1. What is causing me stress?
  2. Can I modify my behavior to prevent some of those stressors?
  3. What  do I really want to feel/experience daily?

Acquisitional Goals

These are goals to help you simplifying your life, save money, reduce consumption, save for house/retirement/holidays etc. Ask yourself:
  1. Where do I want to be by retirement?
  2. What do I need to get there?
  3. What actions can I take to help me achieve that long term goal?
  4. Can I reduce/recycle/reuse to help the environment and save money?

 Professional and Creative Goals

These goals help you to make sure every action you take helps move you towards where you want to be professionally and creatively. Ask yourself:
  1. What is the task I most want to achieve this coming year?
  2. What am I currently working towards that I would like to complete?
  3. What organizational tasks will help my productivity?
  4. What are my current commitments?
  5. What marketing tasks will help me grow my following/business?

Annual Personal Goals

These goals aren't all about obligations to yourself, they are about finding joy in your daily life! Ask yourself:
  1. What are my health and fitness needs?
  2. How do I like to spend my free time?
  3. What favorite pass times have I failed to make time for in the past?
  4. What do I LOVE?

GOAL TRACKING is important! There is no point setting a list of goals and then forgetting about them or losing that post-it note you wrote them on! I have several ways of keeping my goal list handy:

  • Print them and put them in my organizer/journal
  • Print them and hang them in a prominent place
  • Save them in a digital file on my computer
  • Save them in an app on my cell phone
  • Have a blog page specifically for the goal lists
This proliferation of ways to remind myself what my goals are ensures I don't forget them and they stay a priority throughout the year! You can create a tracking sheet to tick off goals you have made progress towards or download a goal tracking app for your phone! I personally keep a journal in my cellphone where I often add a simple one word update or a sometimes just a tick to show I made progress during the month or whatever period has transpired since I last reviewed that goal.

Here are several tips that are important to goal setting:

Where possible be specific - vague goals won't help you achieve. 
Example: 
weekend hike 6+ times in the mtns - I have specified a number of times and a place

Review Regularly
I suggest monthly - you don't need to do anything complex just mentally walk through the goal list to assess if you have made progress

Don't set goals you have no intention of attaining!
Goals are not wish lists!

End of year review:
During December each year review your progress by making a list of all the important achievements you have had since January 1st; it helps if you keep photos, lists, records from throughout the year. I like to do this as a list graphic so that I can post it on my Year in Review blog page for easy future access should I wish to reflect on my long-term progress as an authorprenuer!




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