With January well underway, people are planning and scrambling to keep their New Year’s Resolutions. Whether you are trying to lose weight, save money, do better at work or quit smoking, it can be difficult to keep your resolutions without setting goals and having a clear action plan. Having a clear outline of steps needed to obtain your goals is crucial for your success and improving your skills. Here are some tips on setting effective and obtainable goals to improve your skills.
- First, set a “big picture” of what each of your overall end goals are and what you are trying to accomplish. Try and be as specific as possible. Set SMART goals that are specific, measurable, reasonable, and time-bound. Set goals that are realistic according to your current circumstances, and that can be measured and concretely performed. There is a major difference between the big-picture vision, and the day to day operations that make the vision happen. Both are needed and must complement each other for long-term success.
- Identify necessary components to achieve each of your goals. From the beginning, establish what behaviors or skills are going to be the primary focus for improvement and growth and identify what behaviors will be conducive to performing at your peak in the process of achieving each goal. Discovering this will allow you to develop a plan where the necessary education, training, and support are built into the process and plan of achieving every goal that you set for yourself.
- Continue developing abilities to improve performance. This stage is of vital importance as you put everything detailed in step 2 into action. It can be time consuming to engage in training or continued education. It can also be costly if you are taking a formal approach to education and training. Make sure that you are establishing a routine that includes time to build your skills and knowledge. Do your best to educate yourself by reading a book or two per month. Read blogs, articles, or magazines every week to keep abreast on the knowledge and current events in your area of growth. Connect with mentors to help you grow and expand your skills.
- Recognize your progress and achievements and reward yourself. When all is finished, if you set realistic and attainable goals and stay focused on your action plan, you will see significant results and improvement. Give yourself praise and encouragement for progress you have made. Staying positive will keep you optimistic and keep you in the mind set for attaining further goals.
Setting goals isn’t necessarily an art form. There are many common principles for setting productive goals, though an often neglected criteria, is human performance. It is important to set clear, realistic and obtainable goals and identify necessary the necessary steps to achieve those goals to improve your skills. If you do this, you will become a more optimistic and productive person.