With July 1 right around the corner kicking off the 2nd half of 2020, I am taking some time to review, revise, and refocus my 2020 goals. I thought I'd share my process here with you in hopes that it will help serve as your guide.
Review:
The first step is to look at the goals you set for yourself earlier this year and write down all of the progress you made on each of them. It does not matter if you failed or succeeded, write down ALL of the progress you made. Progress is better than perfection so let's celebrate the progress!
The best reviews will include what you did, how you did it, who you did it with, and who/what benefits came from it. Be as specific as you can.
Revise:
Revising goals can vary between making a simple change, like increasing or decreasing an achievement number, to lighting the old goal on fire and starting over. Most people I talk to this year want to set their goals on fire (thanks COVID), but I'd like you to consider pivoting instead. We don't want to throw away all of our progress. I hope the first step shows you how much progress you actually made even on what you perceive as a "failed" goal. A goal is only "failed" when you finally give up. Perhaps it is time to pivot and take all of that progress and throw it into a revised goal. Now, part of the revision process does include deleting goals that are no longer relevant. When you delete a goal make sure you delete them with a clear mind and not out of frustration.
I really love the SMART goal system. I make sure to check and adjust the Specifics, Measurement, Attainability, Relevance, and Time as needed.
Refocus:
Now that you've reviewed and revised, we need to make sure that these are goals that we really want for ourselves. Take a deep look at them and be honest with yourself if that goal is something you actually want or something that just looks good on paper. Working on a goal that is not your own, not inspiring to you, and/or not challenging enough will leave you unfulfilled and very unlikely to achieve it. Once you have your clear, inspiring, risky, and fun goal it is time to write them down and put them in a place you will see often. I read through my list of goals every morning as part of my morning routine. I do this because it helps me refocus every day on what I decided is important for me and my future.
I work on 3-5 goals at one time. Some people argue that you should only work on 1 goal at a time. Many of my goals are habit goals so 3-5 is just right for me; however, if I had large achievement goals I would max my active list to just 3. You may be like me and actually have more than 5 goals you want to achieve. I identify which goals I will work on first and set the remaining list aside until a spot opens up. I then write down a deadline of when I want to start working on the goals in the backup list.
When it comes to goals, this guide barely touches the surface. Goals are an incredible tool that takes years to master. Whether you are new to goals, or a seasoned veteran I hope this guide helps you knock the 2nd half of 2020 out of the park. The last few months have really beat us up, but it's time to regain control and the best way I know how to do this is to work with goals.