Whilst I love that everyone is talking online about reaching for their big dreams, it’s also really important to discuss how to practically go about doing that. Otherwise, you can be left in a never-ending loop of inspiring quotes, without any results!
Reviewing and adjusting your goals is just as important as creating them in the first place. In fact, it might actually be more important!
After all, your review sessions give you the opportunity to see what you have and haven’t achieved and to adjust your daily habits accordingly.
Sound overwhelming? Don’t worry. We’re here to walk you through it.
Just like a client or that first coffee in the morning, your goals should be a total priority in your life. If they’re not, you’re probably never going to get them done!
As such, setting time aside to review and adjust your goals is non-negotiable. Not only will it ensure that they are always at the forefront of your mind, but that you can assess what you’ve currently got nailed and what needs to be pivoted. That way, you’re always on the right track.
There are three types of goals: Quarterly, monthly and weekly. Your review periods should line-up with this system. Set time aside, actually put it in your diary, to review your goals at the end of each week, at the end of each month and at the end of every three months.
Each of these reviews will look very similar but, naturally, the longer the period of time you’re assessing, the more it will tell you.
So, you’ve set your goals. You’ve scheduled in time to review them. Now what?
Well, obviously you’re going to start working towards them. But also be sure to track your goals as you go. This will make your review sessions much easier and less time-consuming.
How you do this will massively depend on what you’re aiming for. But here are some ideas to get you started:
Now it’s time to get reviewing.
Like I said, whether you’re doing this at the end of the week or the end of the quarter, it will look very similar. However, it can be handy to take some notes during each review session as your shorter-term goal assessments may feed into your longer-term goal assessments.
I recommend structuring your goal reviews by answering the 5 following questions. It can be helpful to create a printable table with these written in, so that you can use it every time.
Did I achieve this goal?
Simple but effective!
Look back at all of the glorious tracking you did. This step needn’t be complicated, it’s simply a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. A tick or a cross!
If I achieved my goal, how? If I didn’t, why not?
Really sit with yourself on this question. Progress in any area of your life requires you to be honest with yourself.
For example, did you really not have the time, or were you not realistic in what you could achieve? Was the goal actually not realistic, or did you just not make it a priority?
If you achieved your goal, look at what habits you shifted in order to be able to make it happen.
Was the goal aligned with my bigger picture?
Ticking off a goal is truly pointless if it’s not helping you towards your business dreams.
I recommend asking this whilst you actually set your goals, too. However, doing things in your real-life can give you a different perspective, so, it’s always worth checking back in with yourself.
If you find that a goal isn’t aligned: scrap it. It shouldn’t be a priority in your life. You could be doing something that actually moves your business forward or watching Netflix instead.
Do I need to bring this goal forward?
If you achieved your goal, you don’t need to bring it forward. You can sit back and come up with a new one. Exciting!
If your goal wasn’t achieved and you still think that it aligns with your long-term plans, you probably want to bring it forward to the next week/month/quarter. Really dig into why you didn’t achieve it from question 2. What can you change about the goal or how you’re trying to do it that will make it a success this time?
Maybe you need to schedule in the 15-minutes a day it will take. Maybe you need to make it more achievable and drop those 50 new clients down to 5. Maybe you need to get your processes in order so that it’s less overwhelming.
Whatever it is, take note and make sure that you’ve got it on hand for the next time you sit down and set your goals!
What adjustments do I need to make?
The title of this post is ‘reviewing and adjusting your goals’ so we need to talk about those adjustments.
From the answers to the 4 questions above, you may have noticed some patterns – maybe you’re setting goals that are easily achieved and not really pushing you. Maybe you’re constantly not hitting weekly goals because you simply don’t have time to achieve them all. Whatever patterns you see, identify adjustments that can be made to ‘fix’ them.
Rather than give up on a goal, think about what adjustments need to be made to make it possible. Rather than stay in your comfort zone, think about what adjustments need to be made to get out there and grow!
Reviewing your goals can sometimes leave you disheartened if you haven’t achieved all of them. So, this is your reminder not to be too hard on yourself. When it comes to having big aspirations, getting there is often a long journey. Give yourself time to rest, recoup and then re-strategise!
If you think you’re ready to outsource some of your business tasks, get in touch to see how we could work together to not only free up more of your time but also grow and scale your business!