Ever find yourself wondering “how do I achieve my goals?”
Maybe you have so many things you are trying to do but you don’t seem to be making progress?
I hear this
a lot. It can be the pitfall of ambitious, driven people. We want to do so much
but we can end up feeling
overwhelmed or like we’re not getting any traction.
To help, here are 5 steps to get
measurable results so you can start achieving your goals sooner.
To make it easy download your free guide here (with bonus prompts) or grab a pen and paper.
1.
Define what you want
First things first, you need to get clear on your goals.
Take some time and write down all the things you want to achieve.
Don’t worry how crazy, lofty or unattainable they may seem. Just do an unfiltered brain dump and get it all down on paper.
“Writing things down doesn’t just help you remember, it makes your mind more efficient by helping you focus on the truly important stuff.” Mark Murphy, the CEO of Leadership IQ, explains.
It also frees up mental energy to allow you to focus on one thing at a time, knowing you can come back and review your other goals when you’re ready.
2.
Identify your priority and why it’s important
With all your goals in one place, review them and decide which goal matters most to me right now?
The more meaningful the goal is to you, the easier it will be
to focus on it. And focus gets results, plain and simple.
Answer these questions:
- The most important goal I have right now is…
- This goal is so important to me because…
- Achieving this goal means I’ll…
- Doing this is in harmony with my life because…
- This fits my life plan because it…
- Once I accomplish this, I will be…
3.
Plan for success
With your focus on your number one priority, brainstorm all the steps you can take or tasks you can do to help you achieve your desired goal.
Again, write everything down without filtering or overthinking it.
Aim for at least 15 options. If you get stuck consider the prompts in the guide, and remember, you can always come back and add to the list of possible actions when new ideas occur to you or you’ve worked through all the tasks.
Review your list.
Which of these tasks is the simplest to do or requires the least effort? This should be the first thing you do, even if it seems too easy or obvious.
By picking the simplest action, you can create an ‘easy win’ which will set you up for success and will ensure you get more done in the long run.
4.
Get to work and acknowledge each accomplishment along
the way
Get into
action. Complete that first task. And then celebrate it.
It can be easy to skip the celebration, especially for simple tasks, but it’s important that every accomplishment is acknowledged as this helps you stay motivated and develop habits that support taking actions.
It also allows your mind to focus on achieving the next, more complex task. It doesn’t need to be a big fanfare but your acknowledgement needs to be deliberate. As Polly Campbell explains you need to notice the moment, step outside your routine for a few minutes and commemorate the achievement.
That could be as simple as standing still for a minute with your takeaway coffee and doing a silent cheer to yourself, a quick call to a girlfriend to share your accomplishment or it could be a toast over the family dinner table. Find what works for you.
Continue to work your way through the list of possible
actions you outlined, always picking the easiest thing to do.
Keep at it and before you know it, you’ll have completed your first goal through all the small action steps 👊👊👊
5.
Review and Repeat
With one goal completed, go back and review your list of
goals again.
Remember this
list isn’t set in stone. It should be a living document that you revisit and
adjust regularly.
Are there more things you want to add there?
Do any of those goals now feel irrelevant or redundant and
need to come off the list?
Once you’ve got your update goal list, again pick the goal
that is most important to you right at that moment and start the process again.
I’d love to know, what is the one goal you want to focus on and what is the first action you are going to take? Please share in the comments below.