As entrepreneurs, we all have things we want to accomplish. This could be anything from financial freedom to learning a new language. But these things have a way of eluding us unless we take the time to write them down. Today, I’m going to show you a simple and effective guide to setting your goals. Now’s the time to stop dreaming and start doing.
Write a list of things you would like to accomplish this year
These could be anything from business goals to personal accomplishments. These don’t have to be extremely detailed yet. We’ll get to that later. This is simply an exercise in learning some of the things you want in your life.
Choose two or three things to focus on
It’s easier to get things done if you’re only focusing on a few at a time. So look at the list you’ve just made and pick the items that are most important to you. I recommend prioritizing items that will give you the most financial freedom. This will make other goals easier to accomplish. Also, be sure to give each goal a deadline and a budget.
Be specific
When you’re writing your goals, you need to be as specific as possible about what you want. For example, it’s not good enough to say, “I want a lot of money.” With a goal like that, you can end up spinning your wheels for a long time without getting anywhere. It also makes it difficult to know whether you’ve completed your goal or not. It’s better to say, “I want to make 100,000 dollars every year.” This will give you something precise to focus on.
Write down the reasons behind each goal
Tony Robbins once said, “Reasons are the most powerful things in the Universe.” Having big reasons for wanting to accomplish a goal is the strongest possible motivator for getting it accomplished. So take the time to write these down and print them so you can see them everyday.
Map out what you need to do to accomplish each goal
This is where you’re going to plan everything need to do to accomplish a goal. You’ll find there’s probably a lot of smaller items to complete before you’re finished. Trying to keep all of these things in your head will only overwhelm you. The easiest way to avoid this is to actually map out everything you need to do. You can do this on a piece of paper, but Mindjet offers an amazing product called MindManager that makes this incredibly easy.
Print everything and keep it in a place where you can see it
This includes your goals, your reasons, and your maps. You want to keep these things in a place where you’ll see them multiple times everyday. Otherwise, it’s easy to lose focus. Reminding yourself of what you want everyday will keep you motivated and focused.
Get started immediately
Procrastination will kill your dreams faster than anything else. It’s good to read, study, plan, and prepare. These things have their place. But this can easily lead to paralysis through analysis. At the end of the day, you’re only going to get what you want through action. When mapping out your goals, you need to have at least one step that you can start right away. Don’t hesitate. Get started now.