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Tips for Setting Goals

Home » Goal Setting Techniques » Tips for Setting Goals

Got a Goal? Now learn how to get there with these tips for setting goals!

We’ve all got goals and dreams but sometimes we bog down in doing them. I’m no exception. I set big goals and am immediately overwhelmed by them. There are some reasons for this.

Too Many Goals

I have been guilty of setting too many goals, too far in the future. Instead of making clear, well-defined goals, I have lists of things that look like this:

• Buy a motorcycle
• Go to Paris
• Learn to play a musical instrument
• Get fiction book published
• Get non-fiction book published
• Have more grandchildren

The list goes on, almost forever.

Obviously, those aren’t really goals. That list is really a bucket list, a list of things to do before I die. I’ve made this list over and over again and only achieved a few of the things on it. And some of the things on it are, as my kids remind me, not goals. I want more grandchildren, but there’s not a darn thing I can do to get them.

Narrow It Down

Okay, I’ve got this list. But I need to look at which things I can accomplish in a reasonable time frame, say one year just for a starting place.

• I’m already working on the motorcycle so that’s on the list.
• We’re going to Hawaii this year so Paris has to wait.
• I’ve got a fiction book almost ready to go so that’s definitely on the list.
• I haven’t even started to write the non-fiction book. Although I’ve done a lot of research and made notes and even have a good outline, it’s not going to happen this year.
• Playing a musical instrument list is more in the “it would be nice” category so I’m not sure it will ever seriously be a goal. I live in a houseful of musicians so maybe I can just enjoy their talents.
• And the grandchildren thing isn’t, I am told, any of my business.

I just eliminated four goals for this year, and added one by substituting Hawaii for Paris.

Takeaway Lesson: If you have too many goals, one of the best tips for setting goals is to prioritize your goals and narrow it down

Figure Out Steps to Get There

My goals are now:

• Buy a motorcycle
• Go to Hawaii
• Get fiction book published

Since I don’t make the decision about whether my book gets published or not, I need to revise it just a bit. It is now “Pitch fiction book”

Now I can add in the steps to getting there. So I end up with a list that looks like this

• Buy a motorcycle
o Price used motorcycles
o Take motorcycle safety class
o Save money
o Buy safety gear

• Go to Hawaii
o Choose an island
o Reserve vacation time
o Save money

• Pitch fiction book
o Make final edits
o Pitch to agents and publishers at conference

Takeaway Lesson: After prioritizing your goals, create an action plan to turn your dreams into reality!

Set Deadlines and Priorities

Now I have well-defined goals with clear intermediate steps. All I need to do is add in some deadlines. Some people can work without deadlines, but I’m not one of them.

I’d like to have the motorcycle by next season (Spring 2010) so I have some time to work on it. Our anniversary is in September so the trip to Hawaii is set for mid-September. The conference I want to pitch at is in August.

Voila!

Instant deadlines and instant priorities.

Now all I have to do is get to work. Hold me accountable. That’s another good goal setting strategy for me. Tell others and hope they’ll help keep me focused on my goals.

Takeaway Lesson: Put a realistic deadline on ALL your goals- without deadlines, your goals are merely dreams. Goals with deadlines, with the help of your action plan, become reality.

My Tips for Setting Goals- Contributed by Susan L.

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