THERE’S MORE TO PLANNING THAN SETTING GOALS
As a new year begins many of us find ourselves setting goals. It’s more like a ritual performed at the beginning of every year – we sit back and make a list of what we want to accomplish in the new year. And once done, we get back to living our lives having completed our annual “planning process” – making a list of goals to achieve in the new year.
But the “planning process” goes beyond planning “what to do”. It also includes planning “how to do it”; planning “who will do it”; and planning “how to measure it”. But because so many of us focus on the “what to do” and totally ignore the “how”, “who”, and “how much” phases of the process, planning turns out to be ineffective. We may achieve some goals, but because we don’t track the process, we don’t really know, leaving it to memory.
It takes time to really plan, but it is well worth it. By mapping out what you want to do, how you will do it, and who will do it, and then documenting your results, you create a means to learn from experiences. Through this process you begin to see the effectiveness of various tactics and strategies you used, and so are better able to refine them in the future.
While it takes time to plan, here’s an easy way to get it all done.
First – make goals specific.
Example: don’t say my goal is to save more money, but to save $1,200 or don’t say to write or read more, but to write at least 6 blogs or read at least 4 books.
Second – create monthly milestones for each goal so you can easily track how you’re doing.
Example: set a milestone to save $100 each month, write 1 blog every other month, and read a book each quarter.
Third – write all of this down and take time each month to review whether you’re reaching your milestones.
Example: on the first Sunday of every month record how much you saved the previous month, how many blogs you wrote, and how many books you read.
Fourth – compare your actual results to the milestones you set and try to explain the differences.
Example: in month 1 you saved $75 and not $100 so you’re under your goal by $25. You think back and remember you had an unexpected necessary expense of $125 and realize that without the expense you could have saved at least $50 more. This leads you to consider increasing your annual goal from $1,200 to $1,500.
Following this planning process will help assure you reach your goals, but more importantly, it provides you the opportunity to proactively manage the process.
Happy New Year!!! Now about your goals…
From the desk of…
The Adjunct Lecturer
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