If you don't yet know why you should be goal setting you need to head on over and read our blog post "10 Reasons To Set Goals, Making 2020 Your Best Year Yet" to find out why goal setting is the best thing you could be doing right now for both your professional and personal life.
So if you read our previous blog post you will know the why, now it is time to get working on setting some SMART goals to make them really work for you. Setting goals is a super important task whether it is for the sake of your business or for your personal ambitions, so its imperative you get it right and we are here to help you do it the SMART way. First off you need to sit your self down, get out your fave pen and write down two goals for 2020. One personal and one professional, just one single overall ambition that you have for the year ahead for each, when you have done that then you can go ahead and read on.
What are Smart Goals?
Smart goal setting brings structure to your objectives so instead of having vague ideas and ambitions you have easy to track and measurable movement towards an end game. By having a clear and specific path you are able to evaluate your actions along the way and make them work for you the way they should, it saves you time and gives you the clarity and focus you need to be the boss of your life.
SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time sensitive.
SPECIFIC
When setting yourself a goal think about what exactly it is you want to achieve, the more specific you are, the more likely it is that you will actually get it. Really get into the nitty gritty and details of what it is you want, ask your self, where, how, when, with who and why you want it. Get connected to the goal. MEASURABLE
When you have measurable goals you identify what you will see and feel when that objective has been reached. You will need a way of proving that you have succeeded and having a clear refined way of evidencing that means it is more likely to happen. By way of an example instead of saying “I want to have a successful blog” say “ I want 1000 new subscribers to my blog”. One can be measured the other leaves rooms for interpretation which only clouds the water and give you false truths.
ATTAINABLE
You need to really think about whether you are actually able to achieve the goals you set. Being unrealistic only leads to frustration and disillusion, think carefully about whether on a realistic basis you have the time, the tools and capital to reach the goals you are setting. There is no shame in admitting that something is out of your reach at any moment in time, it does not mean that it will never be. If in all honestly it isn't attainable right now, it is no biggie to re adjust your goals and work on a different ambition that will move you forward so next time the big dream is closer within your reach.
RELEVANT
Are the goals you are setting actually relevant to you and who you want to be, do you align with them? Think about the bigger picture and ask your self if this goal works for the overall plan. If the answer is no then this is not the right goal for you and you need to think again. Is it going to have the impact you need right now?
TIME SENSITIVE
Time is money and deadlines are what we need to kick our butts into action. We need a finish line to run the race in the first place or we just keep on going forever and eventually that means we are going to burn out. Giving your self a time limit means you will work harder and pull out all the stops to get it done and keep you charged and motivated. Procrastination can be one hell of a block for your success, if your goal has an expiry date you have that little extra incentive to do it right now instead of kicking yourself later for letting pointless things get in the way of your success. Now you know how to make your goals work for you, take a look at that yearly goal and re adjust it. Once you have done that you can go ahead and break it down into months, weeks and days. By breaking down the larger task in to small ones you are able to digest and make progress towards it more efficiently. For example if you want to make £12 this year (we hope your aiming higher because you are totally awesome and can do it) you know that you need to make £1 per month, the more you break it down the more manageable and achievable it becomes. My own SMART business goal for 2020 is to increase my turnover by 10% before December 31st and whilst doing that i want to speak at 5 events this year. My personal goal is to take 12 small trips with my family before the year is out. What are yours? I would love to hear what goals you have set your self for 2020 so get in touch or tag us to let us know, you never know who might be able to help you achieve it.
Small Business Editor, Alex Preston
Alex is a small business owner, her retail outlet The Bottle Top, offers an array of zero waste, sustainable produce, artisan food and craft beer. Recently shortlisted for Business of the year, Alex works on a number of community projects and initiatives to aid sustainable living, conducts
improvement planning to promote economy in her local community and mentors other business owners to help improve their social media marketing. She has been self employed for 5 years since becoming a mum and prior to shop life worked as a manager in the financial services industry,
Alex loves all things sustainable (obviously), crafting and will often be found researching climate
change or business news.
If you would like write a Small Business guest blog post for us, please contact Alex on; hello@womenwd.co.uk
