How to Stick With Your Business Goals
It’s the month to make goals. And in another few weeks, to fall off of them. We know ‘em, we love ‘em: New Year's Resolutions.
I’m all for people trying to improve themselves personally and professionally. I just think we need to be better about how we set goals and make sure we stick with them.
It’s easy to say you’re going to do something…but life gets in the way and you forget about it or continue to push it off.
Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen to you in 2022!
Why Business Goals are Important
According to Positive Psychology, “Setting goals helps trigger new behaviors, helps guide your focus and helps you sustain that momentum in life. Goals also help align your focus and promote a sense of self-mastery. In the end, you can’t manage what you don’t measure, and you can’t improve upon something that you don’t properly manage. Setting goals can help you do all of that and more.”
You might have an idea of where you want to be in five or ten years, but how are you going to get there? Goals are meant to help you achieve your dream life. They’re small wins that add up to big wins. Goals motivate us and remind us what we’re working towards. Goal setting is important because it gives you the confidence you need to achieve success, whatever that looks like for you.
How to Stick with Your Business Goals/Accountability
So how do you stick with your goals once you set them? Here are a few of our favorite ways to help keep you moving forward.
SMART Goals
We’ve all heard of SMART goals, right? If not, it means your goals are:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-bound
SMART goals are the perfect way to stick to your business goals. The purpose is to get really specific about what you want to achieve. For example, you wouldn’t say, “I want to increase my revenue.” A SMART goal would be, “I’m going to increase my revenue by 10% by the end of Q1 by bringing on three new clients at $1,000/month.”
You know your timeline (end of Q1), how to measure it, it’s super specific, and it’s attainable and realistic. Start making SMART goals, and you’ll reach your goals faster.
SMART goals also work particularly well for writers, in case you’re a creative professional looking to get your writing on track this year, too.
Accountability Partner
Another way to stick to your business goals is to find an accountability partner. Someone to give you a kick in the ass when you need it (kindly, of course). This could be a business partner, friend, family member, significant other, or anyone else who you trust to keep you accountable.
If you’d rather work with someone you don’t know as well, you can find accountability partners in Facebook groups. Find and join a few that relate to your business, and look for someone (or a few people!) who you can build a relationship with. Then you can be an accountability partner for them, too. We love a good, supportive community!
Write it Down
Writing down your goals makes them feel more real. They aren’t just a thought; you have them right in front of you. Better yet, put your goals in several areas of your office or workspace so you have a constant reminder of what you’re working towards. On mirrors, behind your computer, on your desk, and anywhere else where you’ll see them every day.
Have a Mix of Goals
It’s really helped me to have short-term goals and long-term goals. If you only have long-term goals, they don’t feel as attainable. Like, they’re so far away that you have time to procrastinate. On the other hand, if you only have short-term goals, you don’t have a clear vision for what you want to achieve in the long term. Have a mix of both. I like to scaffold my goals, which means that my short-term goals work toward the long-term goals.
Celebrate wins
Goal setting doesn’t have to be boring. Celebrate when you reach a goal! If you plan to reward yourself for hitting certain goals, you can post that next to the goals to keep you motivated, especially on days where it seems really hard to keep moving forward. Celebrate all wins - big and small. Everything you did to achieve your goal is worthy of celebrating.
Business Goal Ideas
Sometimes it’s hard to think of goals - I struggle with it sometimes myself. Maybe you have a goal in mind (or too many), but you’re not sure how to get there.
Here are a few templates you can customize to your goals:
I’m going to increase my revenue by % in [timeframe]
I’m going to grow my [social media platform] following by # in [timeframe]
I’m going to book # new clients at $X/month in [timeframe]
I’m going to create # lead magnets per [week/month/quarter] in [timeframe]
I’m going to post on [social media platform] X times per [week/month/quarter] in [timeframe]
I’m going to send # emails per [week/month/quarter] in [timeframe]
Which goal are you going to set and achieve first?
I’ll share a few of my goals for 2022.
I’m going to post on Instagram at least once a week by the end of Q1.
I’m going to increase my revenue by at least $30K by the end of the year.
I’m going to hire a VA to help with admin tasks by the end of the year.
I hope this blog has inspired you to create a few smart, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound goals (see what I did there?) I want to support you along your journey! Make a post sharing your 2022 business goals on LinkedIn and tag me!