As this year – and this decade – wind down, it’s natural to start looking ahead. A lot of people, as they’re looking ahead, also set goals or resolutions. So here are some of our tips for setting your 2020 goals.
Start your look ahead by looking back.
What were your goals for this year? Did you hit them? If so, can you identify commonality in what helped you get there? If not, is there a common theme in what held you back?
Break it down.
I do this in two ways. One, I don’t set yearly goals; I set my goals quarterly. At the end of each quarter, I take stock of what worked and what didn’t, then set goals for the next quarter, being as agile and flexible as necessary. Two, once the quarterly goals are set, I break them down into to-do lists. I set deadlines for when each bit needs to be completed to hit the goal by the end of the quarter, breakdown those deadlines into line items, and each of those gets put in my planner.
Have an accountabili-buddy.
For the last few years, I’ve had a “business buddy.” This person started as a friend; we knew each other socially. She and I went started our own businesses around the same time. As we’d chat, we found that we were running into similar issues and having similar successes. So when she suggested that we set intentional meetings to hold each other accountable in setting and meeting our goals, I loved the idea. We’d grab coffee or lunch with our planners and computers at hand, talk about what would be a stretch and what would be comfort-zone level, and set our plans for the next quarter. Even though she’s now in NYC and I’m still in Charlotte, we still make time to chat via phone or Facebook Messenger toward the end of each quarter. And we’re both still kicking butt in our respective businesses!