In the last blog post, we talked about the process of creating SMART career goals. Now that we clearly defined career goals, not its time to talk about how we make sure those goals are achieved and become reality in 2023. This is a blog post that I wrote a few years back that walks through the process.
In my last post, we discussed how to create goals by using a proven formula. If you haven’t read that one I would suggest you start here. In this post, we discuss creating a process to help you achieve your goals. Creating goals can be fairly easy – it’s achieving them where most people struggle and ultimately fail. There are a lot of reasons for that and we’ll address them in this post.
Have a Plan:
It is important to break down your goals into smaller tasks or micro-goals. This gives you the steps needed to accomplish and a path towards success. However, I would caution you not to get stuck in the analysis paralysis trap like I have been a victim in the past. You need just enough to get started. You will most likely need to make adjustments along the way but just know the next task you need to accomplish and go from there.
Going back to our example goal.
Example: I will weigh 190lbs with 9% Body Fat by January 1st, 2023
Here are some tasks:
- Get a Gym Membership
- Hire a Personal Trainer
- Go on a Diet
As you can see, this task list isn’t exhaustive and is pretty basic. It doesn’t necessarily cover every single step and new ones may come up.. It is listing the main tasks or milestones that you need to accomplish as you move towards the completion of your goal.
This type of goal is called an outcome goal. An outcome goal is a target you want when you accomplish your goal. In our case, our outcome goal is
Outcome Goals vs Process Goals:
There are two different types of goals – Outcome Goals and Process Goals.
An outcome goal is a specific target that you want to hit by a certain time. In our case, our outcome goal is “I will weigh 190lbs with 9% Body Fat by January 1st, 2023”. It’s typically something you hit once.
A process goal is a recurring task or activity that you do more than once. Typically process goals are tied to an outcome. In our example, our process goal could be “I will workout 5 days a week for 30 minutes”.
As you can see this goal could go on forever. There is no deadline or metric to determine if it’s accomplished. Process goals are typically tied to an Outcome. When they work together they are very powerful.
Instead of getting bogged down by a bunch of tasks. Look at your goal, determine the two to three critical repeatable tasks or process goals that you need to do each week, and focus on those.
Set an appointment with yourself using Google Calendar, Outlook, or if you are old school use a daily planner. If the goal is really that important, it’s necessary to schedule an appointment with yourself daily or at least weekly. You can do this either in the morning or in the evening or at whatever time works best for you.
The key here is to be consistent. Most routines take about 21 – 30 days to become a habit. When this becomes habitual then you will start getting some real momentum.
Track Your Progress and Score Your Results:
I just started doing this last year and this was a game-changer. How do you evaluate your progress? Use a spreadsheet or a goal tracking app to help you keep progress and see if you are on track. This will help keep you motivated and is a way to keep score.
That is the one great thing about sports is that they use statistics to track the success of an athlete. This could be batting average, point-per-game, or touchdowns. Tracking your score will give you an idea of if you are on track, which will put you in a better position to hit your deadline.
So how do you score your progress? In our example goal. I created two process goals. One around exercise and the other around diet.
Get an Accountability Partner:
It’s so easy for us to make excuses for ourselves. We are too tired, too busy, too {Insert favorite excuse}. For any goal, it’s a good idea to find an accountability partner or coach to hold you accountable. Getting an accountability partner will not only help you accomplish your goals but it will teach you how to follow through with commitments.
Avoid using a family member or friend. The best accountability partner is someone that doesn’t have close ties to you and won’t be afraid to challenge you. This can be a coach, mentor, trainer, or co-worker.
Reward Yourself:
This one is one of the more fun parts of achieving your goals. Rewarding yourself for the hard work and dedication is a good way to incentivize yourself when you just don’t feel like working on your goals. This could be something small for every week you complete your routine like going out to eat. It can also be something large like going on a vacation after you you accomplish your goal.
So to wrap this up. Setting goals is a repeatable process that sound is done in all areas of your life. Do some brainstorming on what you really want, set a goal, create a plan, build a process, and create the support structure you need. Doing these steps w
