The run-up to Christmas is always manic and crazy but I do find as I wind the business down for a rest, my mind starts to calm down and I start thinking about what my plans and goals are for the year ahead. I’ve always set goals but a few years back I got really serious about effective goal setting, from planning to implementation to ensuring I review on a regular basis. Perhaps you’d like to learn to be more assertive? After all, according to Development Academy, over half (55%) of people say they’ve missed work opportunities by not being assertive enough.
Whether you set effective goals in January or wait until April for the new tax year or even prefer to start your year scholastically in Septemeber it really doesn’t matter when you set goals as long as you do!
For me setting goals is completed by using a variety of techniques and strategies to keep me on track to nail the year! You don’t have to do all 6 effective goal setting strategies pick and choose what works best for you.
6 Effective Goal Setting Strategies To Nailing Your Year
1. Review The Previous Year
What worked well in your business? What didn’t work? Where did your most income come from? What was costing you too much money? What was your work/life balance like? What did you achieve that you are proud of? Did you hit all the goals you set in 2021? If not why not? Was the time scale too long? Too short? Did you check them regularly enough? This doesn’t actually need to be a well organised chart or anything a brain dump with coloured pens works really well.
2. Get Yourself a Dedicated Goal Planner
One book that is totally dedicated to your goals and only that. That way you can really drill each goal down to tiny increments that you can monitor and track through the year. If you need help organising yourself then check out Yearly Goal Setting Journal (Undated Yearly Goal Setting Journal) packed with various page layouts to keep you organised, from calendars and monthly goals to reminders and to-do lists, you won’t need another planner!
3. Learn a New Skill
When looking at how to grow and build your business you might find that learning a new skill/or developing one you already have is a great way to increase your income, gain a new audience and learning is an excellent creative outlet. Online and remote working is still huge at the moment with many people still working from home, you could look at taking a cyber security course like TryHackMe, a cyber security training company that incorporates gamified learning and real-world simulations. Their software acts as a virtual browser enabling learning to be transitional to the real world, by simulating the actual hacking and defending of devices. Learning cyber security can open doors to lucrative career opportunities with a cyber security salary often sitting about £50,000 once with a few years experience.
4. Do a Time Audit
What is a time audit? You simply write down and block all the activities you do over a period of several days in order to get a clear picture of how you spend your time. This way you can examine and analyse how you are actually spending your time versus how you really want to spend your time. This is where you find you spend a bazillion hours on social media instead of doing the tasks that earn you money!
5. Word Of The Year
Do you have a Word Of The Year? I’ve been doing this for a while now, a Word Of The Year helps set intentions, guide your decisions and continue to move towards what you really want. I always refer back to my Word Of The Year throughout the year and make it an integral part of my effective goal setting.
➡ 2017 “DOUBLE” I increased my social media, blog views and doubled my income
➡ 2018 “ACTION” instead of thinking about things I just did them. I booked events when I saw them, I brought things when I wanted them. I really made a huge dent in my bucket list.
➡ 2019 “WRITING” I wanted to spend the majority of my time writing my book Networking A Successful Small Business and by the end of the year my 3rd draft was ready.
➡ 2021 “VISIBILITY” increase my visibility to be seen as a networking expert, leading to more book sales and paid networking events.
➡ 2022 “SIMPLIFY” Simplify routines, income funnels, excessive “things” around the house, endless to-do lists – so I choose to ya’know get married!
➡ 2023 “MEDITATE” I’m not sure yet where I’m going with this but 2022 has felt a bit stressful! Meditation is the practice of developing an awareness of the present moment, practicing sharpening focus and attention, connecting our body and breathing.
6. Create A Vision Board For Effective Goal Setting
The process of creating a vision board helps you to bring all your ideas together, and clarify what is important and what maybe isn’t right now. It’s a calming, meditative activity to do and you have a visual clue for the year showing your goals. 
I love January, I love reviewing the past year and planning the year ahead. Writing your goals down is paramount but accountability is key. Add your goals to your blog or tell your small business friends your current goal on a monthly basis. It’s really important to make yourself accountable to other people, it doesn’t have to be a big goal but you will notice once you make yourself accountable you will get more done! 65% more when you commit to another 95% more when you add regular meetings or catch-ups to work through these goals.
What effective goal setting strategies do you have? Let me know in the comments below.
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I have been trying to break my goals down into monthly steps so that I can see my movement towards them. I also LOVE vision boarding – it’s one of my favourite January activities! I have convinced everyone I know to try it, and I usually host friends to work on them together. So fun!