Tag: Goals

How To Make Business Resolutions For Success In 2021 That Stick

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. As 2020 draws to a close, it’s important to think about business goals for 2021. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Make Business Resolutions For Success In 2021 That Stick.

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As 2020 is drawing to a close, whatever you were able to make of it, now is the time to think of some resolutions to go into 2021 with and make your business a success. Resolutions are known to be hard to keep, and we will all have met someone who tried and failed to do something new as the calendar switched from December to January.

However, if you’re serious about growing your business, now is the time to create a plan for next year. Call them resolutions if that is something that makes sense for you, or call these ideas the next steps to your business growing and thriving if that sounds better. Whatever you call them, it’s crucial to stick to them. Here’s how to do it.

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Make Smaller Resolutions

One of the reasons that resolutions, or plans, fail is that they’re just too big. Although the idea behind them might be excellent, if you start too big you’re going to have difficulty in getting anywhere. You’ll simply overwhelm yourself and set yourself up for failure.

The best way to handle this issue is to look at the overall plan, the plan you would once have thought of as one single resolution, and split it up into smaller parts. Each one of these parts can be a resolution of its own, and you can work through them one by one, getting one right before moving onto the next.

All added up, these resolutions will help you reach your ultimate goal, but you won’t get lost along the way and you won’t start to feel burned out because you’re trying to do too much.

Get More Specific

By making your resolutions smaller, you can also make them more detailed, which will help you to complete them. Vague resolutions and ideas might seem exciting at first, but once you try to follow them through and realize you don’t know where to start or what your end goal is going to be, that excitement can soon fade away.

The more specific you can be, the more likely it is you will achieve your goals and stick to your resolutions to ensure your business is more profitable next year than it is now. For example, you might know that you want an app for your business. Rather than simply having a resolution that you’ll get an app, work out how this is going to happen – will you find an expert to help with app development? What will the app do? When do you want the task completed? Do this for everything you’re planning, and although it might take time, it will be worth it when you realize how much less confusing your plans actually can be.

Write Your Resolutions Down

It might seem a little ‘old fashioned’ to suggest that you should write your resolutions down as you are creating them, but despite the ‘old school’ nature of the process, it’s one that will help you achieve what you want to achieve, so it’s worth doing.

When you write down your goals using a pen and a piece of paper (as opposed to typing them out and saving them on your hard drive where you can’t see them) helps people stay more accountable to their plans, and gives them a higher chance of getting them done. This is a well-known psychological phenomenon, and it is simple to carry out so there is no reason why you shouldn’t do it to help yourself achieve your goals.

The paper with your list of accomplishments to be achieved over the coming 12 months (or whatever timescale you have given yourself) should be left somewhere you can see it every day. The front of the fridge is a good option, or you could stick it next to the bathroom mirror. Perhaps they are even on your ceiling above your bed. Read them every day and you will do more about crossing them off that list.

Make Your Plans Public

Many business owners don’t want to make their plans, goals, resolutions, or whatever you want to call them public. They would rather keep things to themselves because of the fear of failure. Telling everyone you’re planning to do something and then finding that you couldn’t, wouldn’t, or simply didn’t do it at all is embarrassing, and most people won’t want to run that risk. It’s not just business owners either; this is something that can be said of all goals, no matter what they relate to.

Although it can be scary to let people know about your plans, there are several reasons why it’s a good idea. The most important is that you will be held accountable. Because you won’t want to embarrass yourself or let anyone down, and because people will be interested in how you are getting on with your ideas, you will be more likely to do something about your plans. They won’t just stay in your head, as there will need to be some tangible evidence for the results.

Secondly, you’ll be able to get help. If people know what you are trying to achieve, they may be able to offer advice, or perhaps even physical help. You might be able to achieve your goal much more easily because of this.

Have The Next Step Ready

We mentioned right at the start that breaking your major goal down into smaller parts was the best way to get started. It’s crucial, then, that you always know what to do next once you have achieved any particular stage. Finishing one part of your plan and ticking an entire goal off your to-do list (which you should be reading every day) is great, but if you don’t then know what to do next, you may not be able to reach your overall goal at all.

Always have the next thing ready to be started as you’re finishing your current task. You won’t then find yourself at a loss and lose momentum – if this happens it can be very hard to get it back again.

Goal Setting 101: It’s Not Too Late to Pursue Your Resolutions

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success. Many of us start off the year with specific goals in mind but fall off the wagon somewhere. Despite losing focus, it’s never to late to retool and continuing on your path. The following contributed post is entitled, Goal Setting 101: It’s Not Too Late to Pursue Your Resolutions.

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If you are like most people, then you made your resolutions at the beginning of the year. However, now that we’re halfway through the year, you don’t have to wait until next year to kick start your goals, why not start now? Below are a few steps that can help you achieve your career resolutions.

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Learn a new skill

Regardless of the field you’re in, there are other skills that you can learn, and that can help your career. Is there a specific skill that you have always wanted to learn? Make it one of your career goals of the year and get started. If that skill can enhance your performance at work, your employer may even be willing to pay for it.

Examine your areas of growth

Of course, you had already set your resolutions at the beginning of the year, but you may want to revisit them. Unfortunately, some goals, like getting a raise, can backfire. Instead, focus on resolutions that are tied to your values. The bottom line is that your resolution isn’t as important to the reason why. When your resolutions are tied to your values, you will have the intrinsic drive to pursue them. Perhaps you truly love helping people improve their smiles by providing them with excellent dental services. Let these values drive your resolutions and partner with Medifit Design and Construct to make your resolution a reality.

Stay healthier at work

Most people set health resolutions, including losing weight. You spend most of your time at work, and it’s important that you do what you can to improve your health. Some of the simple healthy things that you can do include packing a healthy lunch, getting up to stretch after every hour, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and switching your office chair for an exercise ball. All these small things will help to improve your health.

Create a professional network

There’s nothing wrong about increasing the size of your professional network. In the line of duty, you meet several people, but do you take the time to listen or connect with them? This year, try and find at least one person every month who you can add to your LinkedIn connections and gradually grow your network.

Set yourself up for success

While this may sound like an obvious way to go about your career resolutions, building a strong foundation for your career is important. Ensure that you have an up-to-date resume and improve your LinkedIn profile. Just like your resume, your LinkedIn profile also matters. Regardless of whether you’re searching for a new job or not, having an active LinkedIn profile to showcase your skills, accomplishments, and professional image will boost your confidence.

It’s Never Too Late

Just like Napoleon Hill said, you shouldn’t wait because the time will never be just right. Therefore, whether you’re afraid of progressing your career or you’re just waiting for next January to pursue this year’s resolutions, you may end up spending a lifetime sitting on the bench. There is nothing like the right time when it comes to pursuing your career goals. Remember, procrastination is the mother of failure.

Why Your Business Goals Might Actually Be Redundant

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of success and two of its key focuses are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Goal setting is important for anything you want to achieve. In some instances though, goals can be a hindrance. The following post discusses how to set reasonable goals for your business and is entitled, Why Your Business Goals Might Actually Be Redundant.

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Almost everybody talks about the effectiveness of setting goals. Everybody says how goals can help to keep you focused, help you to achieve more, and be beneficial in a plethora of other ways. However, that’s only really if you’re setting goals the right way and taking the correct approach. For those who aren’t pros at goal setting, they can actually be more of a hindrance than a help. That’s right; in some cases, setting goals can actually slow you down and stop you from achieving what you want to achieve. Let’s talk more about this below!

Focusing Solely On Reaching A Goal
When your team is focusing solely on achieving a goal, they may not be performing other tasks.
In short, your focus can become too narrow when you are focused on a goal, and you might even find that you sacrifice one goal for another goal. Something has got to give when you’re hyper focused on achieving a goal. More often than not, you will experience issues in other parts of your business. While you can get help from companies like WGroup IT Management consulting if you’re finding you haven’t got time for other aspects of running your business, you will still need to be realistic and balanced about what you are able to achieve.

Goals Can Be Limiting
Most people don’t realize that goals can be limiting, too. People tend to relax and take a break once goals are achieved, which often means they have overexerted themselves and won’t be motivated to do regular work for a while. People can get so used to having a goal that they don’t do much when they don’t have one to work towards.

Goal Setting Can Cause Bad Behaviour
Goal setting can actually encourage people to lie and cheat. For example, it isn’t unheard of for businesses to create falsified earnings to reach goals. This can cause no end of issues for the company.

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When Do Goals Work?
Goals can work when you know exactly what you want to happen, and you’re not too concerned about secondary behaviours. You’ll also need to figure out whether unethical behaviour is a big risk or not. Always set goals with caution, and discuss the steps needed to be taken. Do what you can to prevent unethical behaviour. Research has shown that having individuals do an activity because they find the work rewarding in and of itself is much more effective than doing it because they have been given a goal. In fact, being given that goals can undermine this intrinsic value of work.

Most business owners don’t realize the negative effect that goal setting can have on their business and the people within it. However, now that you are aware of when goals can go wrong and when they can actually work, you may be able to set more effective goals when you need them and get more done in the long run.

How will you set goals moving forward? Let us know!

Your Five-Year Plan

Two of the principles of my blog are “Creating Ecosystems of Success” and “Long-Term Thinking and Delayed Gratification”. A key to being successful is looking into the future, setting goals and planning the steps towards achieving those goals. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Your Five-Year Plan.

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Do you often find yourself just going through the motions of your life, without any clear goals or targets? Just living life day to day, without purpose or focus? Many of us do. Then, a few years down the line, we look back at what we’ve achieved and find that nothing has changed. We still have debts, we still live in the same place, our relationship hasn’t developed or grown, we’re no closer to getting what we really want from our life, and our career has stalled.

Well, this happens when we don’t have a plan. You’re never going to hit your goals if you don’t have any. You get one life, you should be making the most of it. A five-year master plan can help you to do this. Five years is a great period of time. A lot can change in five years. Think about who you were five years ago, what you enjoyed doing, who your friends were. Now, look at your life today. In five years, we grow, we change, we start to enjoy different things, we meet a lot of people. You might eat differently, look after yourself more or less, and even go to bed at a different time. Five years is long enough to make massive changes and achieve a lot, but not too long that you can’t look ahead with focus and determination. So, here’s a look at how to create a five-year master plan to help you to develop and get what you want from life, as well as some ideas of things that you should include.

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The Benefits of a Five-Year Plan

If you are the kind of person that just lives day to day, you might not see the point of a five-year plan. But, it can have some definite benefits. It gives you focus. Instead of a general idea of what you want to do with your life, you’ll have clear and well-defined goals for all areas. Five-years means that you’ve still got time to be spontaneous and do what you want, as long as you get back to your plan and continue working towards your aims. It also helps you to prioritize, to stay on track, to keep motivated and to say no to things that would take you off course.

Merely sitting down and writing goals forces you to think about what you want and reflect on your choices so far. You are also statistically more likely to achieve things if you’ve written them down. Something about writing down a target makes it real and gives you a greater focus to achieve it.

How to Create One

Sit down and think about your life so far. Think about what your dreams were when you were younger, and if you still want the same things now. Then, write yourself a Wishlist. Think of your ultimate goals and dreams, no matter how outlandish they might seem. Write them all down. Even those that might take longer than five years to achieve.

Then, ask yourself why you want these things? Will hitting these goals make you happy or improve your quality of life? Try to picture your life if you reach these targets? Take some time to imagine your ideal life. Now, look at your list again, do you need to add or remove anything?

Now you’ve got the what’s and the why’s. It’s time to think about the how’s. This is potentially the most crucial part of your master plan. Without plans, your goals are vague and unreachable. Ask yourself what you can do to meet your targets, or to get significantly closer to them. Write these down too. Now, let’s take a look at some of the things that you might want to include.

Money

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Money is often a big part of our future plans, and your goals might depend heavily on your current financial situation and what you want from your future. If you need to borrow to help you achieve other goals, this is the website to help. If you need to save, or pay off debts, work out how much you need to save each year.

You might have something specific that you’d like to achieve financially, perhaps saving enough to start a business, or to buy a house. Or, you might want to improve your credit score and pay off your debts. Five years is long enough to make massive changes to your financial situation. Think about your goals and take the time to make a household budget to match.

Relationships

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Your relationships will also depend on where you are now and what you want in the future. If you are in a relationship, marriage and children might be in your near future. If not, you might want to think about meeting the right person and starting down the road to settling down.

Wherever you are romantically, there will be other relationships that you need to nurture. Make giving your friendships plenty of love and attention a goal. You might also want to rekindle old relationships, mend family feuds or meet new friends and expand your circle.

Career

Your career is a big one. Getting your career right can improve your financial situation and allow you to take more time for your relationships. Do you have any burning ambitions? Do you want to start your own business, or would you like to dive into a career change? If you are happy where you are now, you might just want to aim for a promotion or try to learn more about your industry to become more confident at work.

Health and Fitness

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Our health is something we often neglect when making plans for the future. Especially when we are young and healthy. But, it shouldn’t be. Your health and fitness are essential to a happy and long life. But, your goals don’t need to be huge. They might just be to carry on what you are doing or to make small improvements to your diet. Think about small, realistic changes that you can make that will improve your health and fitness.

Break it Down

Now you’ve got your five-year targets, you should think about breaking them down. A five-year master plan is fantastic, but it can be hard to stay focused when something is so far away. So, break it down and make plans for the year ahead. Thin about what you can do in the next 12 months to help you to reach your goals.