Set goals effectively so that your goals are achievable and not a waste of time. Goal setting is important as it works as a form of accountability for you, and it helps monitor progress. There is a great way of setting SMART goals, and it helps you set the right kind of roles and increase productivity and organization.
- Specific
You must set specific goals; your goals should be clear and concise and very homed in on what you want to achieve. Don’t create very vague goals, as they often will subconsciously be ignored by you and won’t get done. Setting concrete goals ensures that you always know exactly what you want and, therefore, you know exactly what you need to achieve.
- Measurable
You must set yourself measurable goals; there’s no point in putting an open-ended goal such as “cut costs”; there is literally no way to measure this. Setting specific dates that you want to achieve a detailed goal allows you to view your progress effectively and ensures that you have goals that you can actively be reviewing. Goals must be measurable, as it is imperative that you can see clear progress within your goals. Otherwise, you can end up feeling quite disheartened.
- Attainable
You must set yourself attainable goals; otherwise, you can find yourself quickly losing motivation and feeling disheartened. Setting yourself smaller goals that are realistic is a great way to keep motivation levels high. Whilst it can feel tempting to set yourself bigger goals that will take longer to achieve, it is important not to lose sight of smaller, more achievable goals. It is fine to have grand goals to achieve in the long term, but these are best saved for your long-term plan, and your regular plan is best kept small and attainable.
- Relevance
Setting goals can easily lead you to go off on a tangent, by setting goals that remain relevant to your career path plans or the goal of where you want to be is ideal. Goals must stay relevant to see the progress you are making on your way to reaching your bigger goals; smaller goals can show clear progress and that you are well on your way.
- Time
Time is important when setting goals; it is too easy to have open-ended goals. By setting time-bound goals, you have a sense of accountability and are more likely to achieve your goals. Time-bound goals create figurative deadlines for you to strive for and mean that you are more motivated to start working towards your goals sooner rather than later. Time-bound goals are a great way to increase your productivity levels as you have less time to procrastinate when you are bound by time to reach your goals.
