5 Steps to Achieve This Year’s Goals…This Year!
It’s October and the year is almost over. Like most contractors, you probably took inventory at the beginning of the year and made plans and goals for the year.
You had big dreams for 2018, and it probably all started with a New Year’s resolution. But the experts say that 30 percent of the people who make New Year’s resolutions have given up by February 1st and over half will throw in the towel by July.
Why does this happen?
It happens because a resolution, by definition, is an opinion, or intent. It isn’t a goal. Resolutions also tend to be very vague. Example: “This year I will book more deck projects” or “This year I will be a better boss.”
How is it going? Are you succeeding or have you thrown in the towel? If you need some help, I’m going to give you 5 steps you can use to get back on track. So use this five-step process and you can beat the odds and achieve the success you deserve through the rest of 2018 and into next year as well!
- Take another look at what you want to accomplish. Think about what is most important to you. Look at where you are today and determine where it is you want to go. I like to start out 5 years from now, and work my way backward.
- Identify your key objectives. Rank them, put them in order and limit yourself to no more than three. (Five, max.)
- Create an action plan. This is where you say, “Here’s what I plan to do and here’s how I plan to do it.” This has to be written down using SMART goals which means “specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.” For example I will do more deck jobs this year. SMART Goal: I will do 30 deck jobs a month beginning on October 1.
- Prioritize your plan. This is where you say, “Here’s the order that I plan to do them in.” Use the 80/20 rule and focus on the 20% of the tasks that will produce 80% of the results.
- Implement your plan. This is where you say, “Here’s how I will put my plan into practice.” Then do it! This should include a regular review and celebration process. Weekly is best but no less than monthly.
If you follow these simple steps, you are well on your way to getting closer to accomplishing your goals and keeping your New Year’s resolutions! Good luck!