8 Tips For Success

Goal planning kind of sounds like work and may not be at the top of your list of never-ending things to do. Unfortunately an essential part to adulting includes having some type of order and setting goals, if we ever want to achieve anything in life. Goals are the plans we set to master across many different sectors in life. This can include your health and fitness goals, self care and parenting goals or maybe career and financial goals. The options are plentiful whichever you decide, but I’m here to share with you my 8 goal planning tips to success!

• 1. Think about it. In order to set goals, you first have to know what you want to accomplish in life. Goals are not limited to range or size so while the possibilities are endless its good to keep them realistic. Dream big, but make sure you have a plan to follow through. Some of my current goals include starting my own business, pay off my debt, getting into the best shape of my life and building a portfolio of investments and properties.

• 2. Write down your goals. To keep things organized, keep a detailed list of what your goals are from most to least important. Then separate them into daily (or weekly), short term (monthly, quarterly, ect), long term (1-10 year plans, retirement) goals. Once I have some kind of structure as to what I want and when, I begin writing. I try to be very specific on what I want and focus on the end result and what how I will feel once I get it. This is a great time to slip in a little manifestation with your thoughts and intentions focused on your future.

• 3. Strategic Planning. This step is not as intimidating as it sounds. We already know our goals and our timeline so now its time to pull it all together into a plan to make it reality. Since one of my goals is to own properties, my strategic plan would include making sure my finances are in order and if they aren’t, make a plan to get in compliance. That means paying off debt, making sure my credit report is clean and accurate, saving money for down payments and such. This step is doing the necessary ground work to prepare a solid foundation for your goals to grow on.

• 4. Creating a schedule. Once you have a plan for your goals, you need to set up just exactly how you plan to achieve success. A schedule helps tremendously with time management and keeping you accountable for your progress. This doesn’t mean you have to rush through it, just have something steady in place to keep you consistent but not overwhelmed. My schedule consists of reading a financial management book for one hour a day as well as weekly check ins on my debt reduction plan. I have been aggressively attacking my debt this year and am proud to say I can see the end of the tunnel! Operation financial freedom is near completion!

• 5. Execution. This is actually the easiest part. Don’t overthink it too much and just start. You’ve done all of the hard work already, this step is just putting that work in motion. Executing your plan means being consistent with the schedule you created, no excuses. As with any new thing, it takes some adjusting to get used to change, but becomes second nature after you’ve been doing it awhile. Download a time management app or set alarms on your phone. Resist the urge to fall back into your comfort zone and keep the momentum going.

• 6. Find Your Rhythm . Ahh those adjustments you find can sometimes be a real pain. Sometimes we learn through trial and error that pieces of our schedule just doesn’t work or fit correctly. This is exactly why I included this step. Its important to evaluate early on to not waste time with methods that don’t bring you desired results. Tweaks and minor changes are unavoidable for an efficient process, you are supposed to grow and build on your mistakes. These are the growing pains of change but I promise it doesn’t last long. Finding your rhythm is crucial to keeping you motivated throughout the process of working smarter not harder.

• 7. Accountability . The success or failure of your goals usually tends to fall back on accountability. Its so easy to be motivated to do something new initially, but when that motivation fades and you flat out don’t feel like doing it is when you’ll need that extra push. Some people are more accountable than others but this is where good support system friends and family come in (social media friends count too!). If you need that extra push, share your goals and plans with someone close to you who can help keep you accountable. Its like planting a garden. You can’t prepare the soil, plant your seeds and walk away. You must tend to them consistently until they are big enough to thrive on their own. Same concept applies here.

• 8. Reflections. Hindsight really is 20/20 and our mistakes are the best teachers if we all ourselves to learn from them. Going back over the things that went really well or really bad is how you grow and get better in life. You may find that your schedule was too stringent and you didn’t require the amount of time you thought you would or that you need a bigger savings and must budget more. That’s a crucial detail in adjusting your schedule and time management, freeing yourself to devote more time to other things. Its all trial and error but don’t let it consume you.

Do you goal plan often? If so, what ‘s your process? I hope you have found my advice to be helpful, let me know your thoughts down below!