New year, new you?
Let’s see how we’ve fared when it comes to the resolutions we made so eagerly and excitedly at the beginning of the year:
There’s a reason resolutions are typically swept away with the rest of the NYE party debris: We put so much pressure on ourselves to become a completely new person in the new year, as if once the clock strikes midnight, we’re going to magically have the answers, insights, and motivation to make sweeping changes. And when we don’t… we’ve failed.
There is a difference between resolutions and goals – and it goes far beyond semantics. It’s a matter of recognizing that we are all works in progress.
The question is, are you making progress?
No one loves this or looks forward to it! But checking in with yourself regularly is key to achieving your most important – and ambitious – goals. It is an opportunity to evaluate your progress, hone in on what really matters to you, and course correct if you find that you’ve wandered off your path.
How do you do it?
1. Remind Yourself of Your Goals
Think back to a year ago: What did you want to accomplish? What did you identify as an area for growth? Did you want to spend more time focusing on personal growth? Did you want to take at least one professional development course? Did you want to expand your network by X people? Did you want to hone your organization skills or work on improving work life balance?
A trap that we all fall into is that we want to do everything… And all at once. This quickly becomes unmanageable and stressful so, of course, we end up doing very little of anything.
2. Are They “SMART”?
More to this point, ask yourself if your goals are SMART:
Specific. If your goal is vague – I want to be better. At everything – it is all too easy to misinterpret and to get lost in. Dial it in. My goal is to train for a marathon.
Measurable. How are you going to track your progress? I’ll train three days a week and use data from my fitness watch to see how I’m progressing.
Attainable. Is your goal achievable? Realistic? I did a half marathon last year and have been exercising and eating well.
Relevant. Is the goal aligned with your values? Ambitions? Dreams? I value my health and fitness, and I want to push myself at all stages of life.
Time-Bound. Set a timeline for completion. I signed up for the marathon in my city in November. I’ll be ready.
No matter what your personal or professional goal, apply the SMART method to see if it really makes sense for you at this point. For example, if you want to run a marathon but have trouble with a 5k, does it make more sense to shift your goal? To work on small wins first? Likewise, if your goal is to master a new skill… Does it make more sense to set goals in terms of learning and practicing it first? Set yourself up for success! It’s all a matter of how we talk to ourselves about our goals.
3. Did You Have a Plan in Place to Measure Progress?
You may have noticed that we’ve mentioned measurement a few times. This is intentional! A goal is no good if we are not tracking our progress. How will you do that? It depends largely on the objective you’ve set for yourself. Define what constitutes evidence that you are making positive strides forward. For example, if your goal is to expand your network, you can say, “I have participated in X peer community events this year and have followed up with Y colleagues. I have maintained these relationships.”
Whatever it is, tracking the right metrics allows you to see what’s working and what’s not.
4. How Are We Looking?
So… How’s it going? Did you accomplish your goal? Did you come close? Did you make any progress? Did you outgrow your goal? There is no wrong answer. It’s worth it to ask ourselves these questions. Sometimes we do need to course correct; sometimes we do need to refine or even change our goals altogether.
An exercise that can be helpful is to make a More/Less list. On a piece of paper (go ahead, go old school), draw a line down the middle. In one column, write down what you want to do more of at work and in life. In the other column, write down what you want to do less of. How does this list match up with the goals you’ve set? How can you adjust so they are more in line with what you really want in your personal and professional arenas?
5. What’s Next?
If you feel like you haven’t made progress, it may be a matter of how you are framing your goals or the system you put into place (or more likely, did not put into place!) to achieve them. Go back and do the SMART exercise. Go back and put a tracking mechanism and deadlines into place. Go back and really examine if the goals align with your personal and professional values – and if they are worth your time, energy, and resources.
If you did make progress: Celebrate! And set yourself up for continued success by setting new and more ambitious goals.
Remember, while your goals may be highly individualistic and very personal to you, you are not alone in your endeavors. Visit Home Artisans of Indiana and learn how we build better businesses together.