This is post #2 in the Goal Setting Series. Next: It’s Not About The Numbers
Goals don’t have to take all year to complete. I set yearly goals and break them down, but I sometimes have a goal that may only take 90 days to reach. You will have to be the judge of the time frame based on your current schedule and circumstances. My examples in the next section will be yearly goals so that the breakdown is easier to follow.
Do you have to set a due date? Yes! For starters, a due date is a great motivator. Setting a time frame also helps you determine the break down of the goal. If you have a year, you can break it down into months or weeks. If it’s a 90-day goal, you can break it down by weeks or days. Having due dates also helps you keep your list tidy. My list changes on a monthly basis. I add new goals, mark the progress of current goals each month and print out a new sheet. Sometimes I will even remove a goal if I find it’s turning out to not be worth it (more on “When to Trash Your Goals”).
A goal without a time frame is likely to sit on your list for an enormous amount of time. It is also likely that you haven’t broken the goal down into reasonable steps if it has no end date. The #1 worst thing to see on your goal list is the never-ending goal. The one that just won’t die because you never finish it. It becomes irritating to you and actually drags you down to see it siting there week after week. Eventually you become numb to it and begin to ignore it, but subconsciously it is weighing you down. If you see a goal that has no end date or begins to stagnate, remove it or change it to something more manageable. Your goal sheet should excite you, not make you feel like the world’s biggest loser.
A due date is a critical factor in determining your progress. How will you know when you’re half way there if you don’t know where the finish line is? Using an end date will help you to see the course of actions you must take to get there. You can figure up how often you will need to work on the steps to your goal and you will know when you are off course or just being a slacker.
Take the goals you established in the first post and set some due dates. Be reasonable. If it will take all year, then put that down. However,don’t give yourself the opportunity to procrastinate by making yearly goals out of projects that should only take a few weeks.
This is post #2 in the Goal Setting Series. Next: It’s Not About The Numbers
