As a follow up to my blog on SMARTER© goals, let’s explore some ways to keep goal setting alive.

We look at goal setting as an annual activity that once complete, gets buried under the pile of the urgent, drowning any aspirations. We are over a month into the New Year and some might see the goal setting window of opportunity closed. Others might have already abandoned the goals they set as not achievable. All too often goals get pushed to the back burner under the deluge of doing our day to day work. Here are a few ways to think about your goals differently.

Goal setting is not an annual process relegated to once a year. Goal setting can be something we think about, define, refine, evaluate and adjust throughout the year. If you haven’t set your goals yet, go back to the previous blog on SMARTER© goals and start now. Why wait for the end of the year to set new goals?

Goal setting is not a “to-do” list item. It is a frame of mind and an ongoing conversation about where we are going, how we are progressing, and what we are learning along the way. Successful people continue to assess their goals and make changes over time. Thinking about your goals is probably one of the most powerful things you can do.

Goals require regular conversation. Build goal setting into your on-going conversations with your boss, your staff, your peers, your mentors, and yes even conversations with yourself. Sometimes we stop talking about our goals because we start feeling we are falling behind. Continuing to talk about your goals will help keep them in the forefront.

Goal setting can be continually refined as you move forward. As you learn and progress, incorporate what you’ve learned into your goal. And who said goals can’t be changed throughout the year? There may come a time when you need to renegotiate your goals based on actual business conditions. 

The key to effective goal setting is to look at it as an on-going assessment and regular conversation, not a task to be completed and forgotten.