THE LAZY PERSON'S GUIDE TO GOAL SETTING

Where do you want your business to be in three months? Six months? One year? And three years? How do you plan on getting there?

Pexels.com / Via Pexels.com

Every day, we hear how important it is to set ("SMART" - specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound) goals for our businesses, but how many of us actually follow through daily? Even the most disciplined entrepreneurs or those with the best of intentions get lazy or lose focus at times.

To help you get clear and focus on what you want, we put together this short goal setting guide below.

A Clear Vision and Specific Outcome

If you want to build a business with a solid foundation, you need to define your short-term and long-term goals - there's just no way around it. Once you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve, it will be much easier determining the best route to achieve them.

Realistic and Achievable Goals

If you set lofty goals that you know you're not going to be able to achieve within a specified time frame, you set yourself for disappointment. Lofty goal setting is fine when you have the team and resources or to do in the long-term. But if it's just you with no marketing and operating budget but you set the goal of generating a million dollars in your first month of business, then there's a pretty good chance you're going to set yourself for failure.

Be Time-Sensitive

If your goal is to start a profitable business and leave your corporate job in 2020, make sure you include a timeframe (i.e., a month you plan to launch the business, be profitable, and quit your job). If you don't have any time frame of reference, then setting any goal is completely pointless.

A Plan of Action

To achieve any goal, you need a plan and to follow it. This plan of action should be written out on paper or on your computer. While you might not know what you need to do every single step of the way, you need a high-level roadmap to act as your guide. How will you launch your business and make it profitable? Who is your target market? What do you plan to sell? How will you differentiate your business?

Track and Measure Your Progress

If you don't track and measure your progress, how are you going to know if you are making strides? You won't.

Find a way to track your progress weekly or monthly. Are you moving closer to achieving your goals or moving away from them? If you're moving away from them, then you'll need to adjust your plan. It's that simple!

Once you have set specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-focused goals (that you follow), your chances of success increase greatly.