“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act.” – Picasso
I was recently asked to write a post about how I manage goals and why the methods I have chosen work for me. Well, I’ve always been a bit of a planner. When I was about twelve or thirteen years old, my life was ruled by lists, to the point of obsession. I had a “to-do” list, a “to-think-about” list, a list of all the important things I owned (really!), and the list goes on and on . . .
This was obviously not healthy, and with the help of my parents, I was gradually able to move away from the list obsession. It wasn’t until I started thinking about freelancing that I realized this tendency to write everything down in an organized format could be very beneficial.
When I talk to friends about setting goals, many of them say, “Wow, you’re so organized. I could never do that.” The truth is, while I’m naturally a planner, setting goals and mapping out a plan is something anyone can learn to do through practice and habit.
Figuring out a way to set and manage goals that worked for me was a process of trial and error. At first, I started out with five categories, as I’ve discussed in previous posts: financial, business, health, personal, and spiritual goals. Then I proceeded to fill out the categories with numerous goals, some huge and intangible, some very small and easily achievable. This eventually became too overwhelming, however, and I began paring the number of goals down to a handful in each category.
Now, I’ve finally settled into a method that works for me:
1) Assess monthly. At the start of every month, I spend a couple of hours alone reflecting on what I want to achieve in the month to come. Then I go over the previous month’s goals to assess which goals were met, which ones need to be carried over, and which ones actually aren’t worth pursuing at that point. Periodic assessment of your goals is vital – otherwise, how can you measure your progress?
2) Assess weekly. Every weekend, I map out my schedule for the week ahead. I don’t just include client projects and errands that need to be run – I also have my monthly goals close at hand and insert tasks into my schedule that I know will help me work towards these goals. I make sure to include items that can be easily checked off, to keep my momentum going, and also write down a couple of bigger-picture goals at the top of the page to remind myself of my larger vision during the week. Just like I do at the end of every month, I take time at the end of every week to assess my progress.
3) Repeat, repeat, repeat. I read my monthly goals every single weekday morning. This constant repetition helps keep them at the forefront of my mind and helps me focus my energy for the day. See my post on this topic: https://freelancingtofreedom.com/2012/04/30/more-goal-talk/
4) Break down big to small. Finally, I make time once a week to go over my big-picture goals, or “bucket list.” And I assess if I’m currently taking any steps in my day-to-day life that are moving me towards these goals. Actionable steps are key to meeting both small and large goals.
My method isn’t foolproof, and there are certain personal goals that I know I will likely work towards my entire life, but having what I want and need to do written down on paper in front of me and accessible at all times has helped me to stay focused in my business and in my life in general immensely.
And the great thing is, I don’t find it a chore. My goals keep me grounded in the moment and excited for the future.
What methods have you used to manage goals?
Song of the week: “Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl” – Broken Social Scene (an oldie, but I’ve been loving it lately)
Namaste 🙂
Rachel
Freelancing to Freedom 
I would add, and be realistic in what goals you hope to actually accomplish. Oh, yeah, it’s okay to have a few pie-in-the-sky dreams, but they should usually remain something you dream will happen. Goals should be achievable.
By: islandeditions on February 18, 2013
at 2:50 pm
I agree Sue! They should be things you think about often and that you know you can make happen, even if years down the road.
By: faultlessfinish on February 19, 2013
at 2:03 pm
Great advice! I’ve been feeling overwhelmed by my own goals this month, and it’s bordered a little too closely to me just wanting to say, “Screw it!” and give up. Buuut since that’s not an option, I’ll try some of these methods. 🙂
By: Cassie on February 18, 2013
at 3:09 pm
Thanks Cassie! I’ve been there too – sometimes you just need to back off from the goals a bit and get some perspective to remember why you set them in the first place.
By: faultlessfinish on February 19, 2013
at 2:04 pm
Thanks! This is really helpful! I confess to being a “list” person. Now I can arrange them more methodically. Makes perfect sense. BTW, I just have to ask and only answer if you wish: Are you a Virgo? ( like me) ; )
By: gwendominica on February 18, 2013
at 3:45 pm
Thanks Gwen! And no, haha, I’m a Cancer 🙂
By: faultlessfinish on February 19, 2013
at 2:04 pm
Oh, setting goals. I love to set goals. I do it all the time. It’ll be when I finally habitualize the practice with a side of follow-through that I think I’ll be able to make it work for me. Seeing it work for others does give me hope, though. Keep it up!
By: S. C. Green on February 18, 2013
at 4:27 pm
Wishing you all the best with your goals, S.C!
By: faultlessfinish on February 19, 2013
at 2:07 pm
This is amazing advice. You must be incredibly organised
By: countingducks on February 18, 2013
at 4:31 pm
Thanks Peter 🙂 I am organized, yes. Perhaps to a fault…
By: faultlessfinish on February 19, 2013
at 2:08 pm
Thank you!! This is fantastic 🙂 What do you use to keep track of your goals? Do you keep it all on paper or use a fancy app?
By: Carrie Mumford on February 18, 2013
at 7:27 pm
Thank YOU Carrie! I do it all in a fancy notebook 😉
By: faultlessfinish on February 19, 2013
at 2:09 pm
That’s a perfect excuse for me to buy a new notebook!
By: Carrie Mumford on February 19, 2013
at 2:11 pm
Do it!! It’s so nice to get away from the computer screen for a while!
By: faultlessfinish on February 19, 2013
at 2:12 pm
I am chaos, fear me. Your list will.. *cough* *cough*
Sorry force of habit, I am though not a fan of lists. I do use them when forced by work and planning needs. 🙂
I generally have only one, that gets longer t the bottom and has lots of things crossed through.
Jim
By: redjim99 on February 18, 2013
at 9:35 pm
Haha chaos would consume me without my lists …
By: faultlessfinish on February 19, 2013
at 2:09 pm
Honestly speaking, I’ve never been fond of making lists, but now I think it’s time to finally start doing this. 😀 Making a list a breaking the big goals into short ones!
One way I use to follow my goals is (Something which I’ve been following for past three months):
I wanted to do three things in my life apart from my job (Cartooning, Gymming and improving my guitar skills). So I made a decision in my mind that whatever it may be, I’ll give atleast 4 hours a week to each thing so that I progress a little bit every week. So the point is, if you want to learn/do something, then you should break your tasks by number of devoted hours to be given. The tasks then start to seem small and easy.
I wrote an article on kinda similar topic, if you wish you can read it here:
http://freehappiness.in/keep-growing/
Namaste! 🙂
By: Chetan Sharma on February 19, 2013
at 4:24 am
That’s great advice, Chetan! Even just a small amount of time spent every week working towards a goal is a step forward. I will definitely check out your article 🙂
By: faultlessfinish on February 19, 2013
at 2:11 pm
[…] bloggers I follow, Lumens Borealis and Freelancing to Freedom, have come at the topic of navigation from different parts of the human perspective. By doing this […]
By: The Art of Navigation. | notyethere on February 20, 2013
at 10:33 pm
An excellent post, this is really great. I appreciate this one VERY much .
By: WordsFallFromMyEyes on March 23, 2013
at 11:52 am
Thank you so much! 🙂
By: faultlessfinish on March 25, 2013
at 3:13 pm