Retain, Revise or Retire Your Goals
Many of us set goals at the beginning of the year, such as going to the gym, increasing our business, reducing our expenses, or finding true love. It is helpful to periodically check on our progress and see where we are and where we’re heading.
The method I use is to assess each goal in relation to reality, which involves the following steps:
- Determine the results produced so far in this goal area. For example, if my goal was to lose 20lbs this year, how much weight have I lost? If my goal was to increase my business by 15%, what percentage increase (or lack thereof) have I achieved so far?
- Identify the actions or inactions that led to the current results.
- Decide whether to retain, revise, or retire the goal. For instance, if I’ve already lost 20lbs, I can retire the goal. If I’ve lost 15lbs and it’s only April, I may revise the goal to be 30lbs. I might also revise the deadline, such as revising my goal from losing 20lbs by Dec 1 to losing 20lbs by May 15.
- Determine the actions required to achieve the goal or revised goal.
- Identify the inactions that might hinder achieving the goal and avoid them.
- Schedule the actions in my calendar immediately to increase the likelihood of completing them. It’s important to never rely on memory to complete tasks; always schedule them in your calendar.
To summarize the steps:
- Assess progress in relation to reality.
- Identify actions or inactions that led to current results.
- Decide whether to retain, revise, or retire the goal.
- Determine the required actions to achieve the goal or revised goal.
- Identify and avoid any hindering inactions.
- Schedule the actions in your calendar.
NEVER leave actions in your memory, get them in your calendar, always.