Goals for the New Year may have been on your mind in the last week of December and the first few days of January.
If they were, you’re much like everyone else.
If your goals included:
- Lose weight
- Get in shape
- Get organized
You’re very much like everyone else.
And if you’ve already given up on one or more of your goals already this year,
You’re very, very much like everyone else.
Often the reason for failure to meet goals is that the goal is not a “smart” goal. Don’t get me wrong, your goals are by no means dumb. They just need some schooling.
I’m not sure who to give credit to for the concept of S.M.A.R.T goals but for the record, I didn’t invent the tool. You may have seen different explanations for the acronym letters, but the message is the same: put some structure in your goals
S.M.A.R.T. stands for the following:
S Specific- avoid general statements like “lose weight”
M Measurable- you must have a way to measure progress or change
A Attainable – is it within the realm of “doable”
R Relevant -is it worth pursuing
T Timely -is now the right time
For better success, organize your annual goals into 90 day goals to take some of the overwhelm out of the list. Your 90 day goal worksheet may look like this:
90 day goal sample
Take some time this week to put your thoughts in writing and brighten your business for 2010 with goals for growth and profitability.