10 Simple method to plan your goals

10 Simple method to plan your goals  

Many people think that setting a goal destination is having a dream that is there in the far distant future. Where do you want to be 5 years from now, 10 years from now, or even this time next year; these places are your goal destinations. Whether you have small dreams or high expectations, setting goals allows you to plan how you want to move through life

One of the simplest, yet effective ways to turn goals into achievements is planning them out in advance. Whatever the time frame you are working with, it is important to learn how to make a plan so you can prioritize the steps that need to be taken to achieve your goals

Getting started can seem challenging, but you can build up to even the highest dream.

The following steps on how to plan your life goals should get you started on a journey to your destination

1. Clearly define your goals

When defining your goals, they should answer the highly specific questions of who, what, where, when, and why. What are the main things that you would want to accomplish with your life? Each of these things is a goal.  For each goal you make, you should ask yourself why it is a goal and how it helps your life goals ask yourself some important questions about what you want for your life. What do you want to achieve: today, in a year, in your lifetime?  Define each goal destination in one sentence.

2. Write your goals

Write your goals down sometimes, thinking outside of the box can help you articulate your goals in a way that feels encouraging. Consider writing your goals out in a less conventional way to see what goals come up and how you feel you may be able to achieve them. 

Write down the things that you will need to do in order to achieve your goal. Write down what you don’t have now that will allow you achieve that goal and how you can get them.

These items will become a check-list. They are a tangible way of checking how you are progressing towards reaching your goal destinations. A record of your success!

3. Prioritize your goals 

At any given moment, you have a number of goals all in different states of completion. Deciding which goals are more important or time-sensitive than others is crucial. If you find yourself with too many goals, you're going to feel overwhelmed and are less likely to accomplish them.

Understanding which goals are of the utmost priority is important. Identify what you would like to accomplish first, in terms of importance. Create a list of what you want to accomplish. This way you map out your different priorities and their timelines. Your action plan becomes significantly more actionable when you prioritize your responsibilities and goals, and assign specific timelines to them. By organizing which goals you want to achieve, you can subsequently decipher the steps required to get there. 

4. Set deadlines 

Assigning specific deadlines for yourself is going to keep you organized and on track to achieving your goals. Breaking down bigger goals and assigning them dates to ensure you stay on top of everything. For any goal which has no fixed completion date, think about when you would like to have accomplished it by and use that as your destination date. Work within the time frames for each goal destination, make a note of realistic dates by which you will complete each of these goals. This process is especially useful when you’re working on several simultaneous tasks and need to be smart with the way in which you spend your time. Not only do deadlines help with time management, but they also help you hold yourself responsible for what you’ve set out to do.

5. Determine what resources you need

Not only do you have to plan what you would do to achieve a particular goal, but you also need to determine what kinds of resources are required to get them. Identifying the necessary resources to achieve your goal will enable you to make informed decisions about how to implement each step required to realize your goals. Make a list of the things you need to realize your goals, then work on how to get them.

6. Be realistic with your goals. It is important to evaluate your situation honestly and recognize which goals are realistic and which are a little far-fetched. Ask yourself if you have the all the things you need to complete your goal be realistic with yourself. If your goal isn’t attainable, it’s going to discourage you from working on it. Being realistic holds you accountable because you know that you are capable of these tasks. If you start goal setting with unrealistic expectations, you would struggle to keep your motivation and you may face greater challenges to meet your goals in the long run. It is much more effective and much easier to simply be realistic with yourself. 

7. Track progress 

It is extremely important to keep track of your progress as you work towards achieving your goals so you never feel lost as to what has been done and what still needs to be accomplished. At the end of the year, review what you have done for the year, mark things off the check-lists for each goal destination and write up the schedule with the action points you need for the next year.Checking in with yourself and acknowledging the progress made towards a certain goal is key to staying motivated. It may even encourage you to work harder.

8. Refine your goal 

Once you’ve created your goal and the steps required to achieve it, it is almost guaranteed that there would be need to refine and redefine it as you move forward. You may find yourself set in your ways concerning broad life goals, but take the time to re-evaluate your smaller goals. Are you accomplishing them according to your time frame? Are they still necessary to keep you on track towards your larger life goals? Allow yourself the flexibility to adjust your goals This agility and ability to keep an open mindset regarding how to meet your goals is what will enable you to achieve long-term success over and again throughout your career. No effective plan is static, and it is important to think about any challenges you may face. Regularly review your plan to make the necessary changes as you go along. 

9. Tell others about your goal

Tell other people about your goal; doing so will provide you with support in working towards your achievements. When others are aware of what you would like to accomplish, there is no doubt that they are going to do what they can to help you get there. 

10. Surround yourself with people who motivate you

You are who you surround yourself with, so be intentional with who you choose to spend your time with. You want to be around other people who are ambitious, organized, and supportive, as these are the types of qualities which influence your own behaviors and attitudes. If for some reason you feel as if there are particular individuals around you who are negatively impacting your motivation, be careful to take time and space away from them so you can protect your drive to achieve your goals. Surround yourself with people who inspire you, track your progress, identify the resources you need, keep redefining your goal, and be realistic with yourself, and you are all set.

Properly planning your goal is something that you need to take some time to think carefully about if not it would be a remote dream waiting for action which is never taken.

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I hope it was helpful