The Top 10 Tips for Managing Your Goals

Today's Story: The Top 10 Tips for Managing Your Goals

We have all solicited help from someone that will help us to focus and set our goals. But setting goals is just one step to accomplishing them. Along with taking action toward our goals, we must also develop some skill at managing our goals so that our goals do not overwhelm us and become just another source of frustration and we give up. Here are some tips for managing your goals:

1. Write down everything you want.

Set aside a block of time where you can sit alone and think through the threads of your life. Don't edit, just write. What changes do you want to make? What people do you want to meet? How much weight do you want to lose/gain? Knowing WHAT you want will define the actions you take. Add to the list as thoughts come up.

2. Link "like" goals from your list together.

Linking goals into categories will give you a better view of where common key areas of desired change lie. For example, if you want to be in sales and also learn how to public speak, you will want to group these 2 goals together as "like" goals since you will require a fair degree of speaking ability to sell. Create separate categories of goals for physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and recreational goals.

3. Create a visual map of action steps.

A visual map is a guide of the things you want to accomplish and the action steps needed to get you there. For example: if you want to lose 50 lbs, break it into 10 lb blocks and attach the necessary action steps to each piece.

4. Get detailed with each action step.

If you want to lose 10 lbs over 3 months, what exactly do you need to do to get there? If it's exercise, how much exercise will you commit to on a daily basis? If it's reducing caloric intake, how many calories will you commit to decreasing each day? If it's walking or swimming, how many miles or laps will you do daily? Details keep you focused and make you accountable to yourself.

5. Set a start date.

Every goal has to have an action behind it and every action has to have a date. Set a start date and then do it!

6. Develop an accountability group.

Whether it's a personal trainer, a friend, a relative, a spouse, or a coach have at least 3 people in your network that will hold you accountable to moving forward in your goals. It is preferable that this group not let you off the hook except for extenuating circumstances.

7. Stay with your action plan at least 90 days.

It takes most of us some time before we begin to incorporate a new habit into our lives. Continue with your goal's action for at least 90 days before you decide it's not working for you. Most likely, if you have been consistent with it you will begin to see payoffs. If after 90 days you decide to let go of it, look at it with fresh eyes and tweak it, then give it another 90 days.

8. Trust your intuition.

Only you know what works for you. If it doesn't feel right, it may not be. Or you may just need to stretch beyond your comfort zone. In either case, pay close attention to how it feels to you then regroup and tweak until you find the best plan for you. The idea is not to give up, reach your goal your way, and be happy doing it.

9. Forget the externals.

Pressure from externals (people, circumstances, etc) often keep us from reaching our own potentials. Work toward your goals at your pace, within your timeline, with what is important to you. Know that not everyone will agree with you all the time.

10. Remember that goals are an action plan with a deadline.

Take responsibility for your life, self-care, and your outcomes. It's your life...you have to do the work. If you prefer not to do it with a friend or relative, hire a personal development coach. Coaches guide others with life's issues and goals in a non-threatening, nonjudgmental environment.