Goal Setting That Actually Works: How To Achieve More In 2015 (Part 2)

In Part 1 of our 3-part series on goal setting in 2015, we covered the importance of creating 90-day cycles in order to achieve your goals throughout the year.

Remember that for most small business owners, huge, sweeping goals and/or changes don’t stand the test of time. Goals are much more likely to be realized when approached in smaller 3-month cycles.

In Part 2 of our series on goal setting in 2015, we’ll show you how to break 90-day goals down into prioritized action steps.

Breaking Goals into Action Steps

In Part 1 of this series, we used the big goal of publishing a book as an example of goal setting for 2015.

We then broke that goal down into more manageable 90-day cycles.

Some of the 90-day goals of publishing a book include completing a first (or second, or fifth) draft, creating a marketing plan, getting feedback, and securing book reviews.

But each of these 90-day goals can (and should) be broken down even further.

Let’s take a look at how to effectively prioritize even smaller sets of action steps in order to prevent overwhelm and really meet your goal. (While we’re using book publishing as an example, the following techniques can be applied to any goal you’ve chosen to accomplish in 90 days or less).

If your 90-day goal is to create a marketing plan, for example, where do you start? What steps do you need to take over the course of 90 days in order to realize that goal?

1. List everything that needs to happen in order for your goal to be achieved.

Every single task should be written down, including things like conducting research, emailing your coach with specific questions, finding other marketing plans for inspiration, writing the actual plan, obtaining feedback on the plan, and so on.

2. Prioritize each step

Once you have every step down on paper, prioritize them. Something like research is obviously best completed before you create your marketing plan, for example. Once each task is prioritized, create a schedule where each item can be checked off before moving on to the next.

3. Outsource whenever possible

Maybe you love conducting research but you hate writing. Maybe you hate doing the research but can’t wait to create the actual marketing plan.

After prioritizing each task and creating a schedule, decide which tasks can be outsourced to a freelancer or an assistant. Having extra help accomplishing your goal creates accountability, and will make it that much more likely to be achieved.

When setting goals, it’s not only important to break them down into 90-day cycles; it’s also crucial to break those 90-day cycles down into smaller, manageable action steps.

Remember to….

1. Write down every single step that needs to be accomplished, no matter how small it may seem.
2. Prioritize each task based on when it needs to happen and how it impacts all the other tasks on your list.
3. Outsource those tasks you a) don’t want to do, b) want to do but don’t have time, and c) aren’t qualified to do.

In part 3 of our series on goal setting, we’ll show you how to measure your results to make sure you’re on track to achieve your 2015 goals.

In the mean time, get help with your personal 90-day action plan for 2015 by contacting Sydni for a FREE consultation. Contact us at Info@SmartSimpleMarketing.com or call 510.601.0470 to to get started.