Do you have goals set for this week/month/year, or have you been thinking about setting some? Setting career goals has many benefits and advantages for your career growth and your personal development. It can give you the focus and direction needed to achieve your ambitions and it’s also a consistent challenge that will keep you motivated. Even though it sounds simple, you might not attain your goals if you don’t plan them right. See below our top 10 tips for setting your goals.
There’s no point having goals that you aren’t interested in. We recommend you think about what kind of goals you want to set and then brainstorm some ideas that you can visualise yourself doing.
You can easily get carried away thinking of everything you would like to achieve, but you shouldn’t pick more than three goals at one time because you’ll exhaust yourself and burn out. Think about what excites you and the goals that are most important to you.
Before deciding your goals, think about if they are challenging enough, but also attainable. If they are realistic, you know eventually you will complete them with confidence and in good time. However, try not to make them too easy either! By the end of it, you want to learn something new and develop your skills.
Putting your goals in writing makes it official, rather than keeping them stored in your head where there’s a chance you’ll forget about them. They can be written in a book, post-it note or a laptop, as long as they are outlined and it is made clear what you need to do. It will help keep you focused and driven until you’ve completed them.
Treating yourself after completing your goal will motivate you to keep it up and set more goals for the future. It can be something small like having your favourite chocolate or something bigger like planning a day out with your friends to celebrate. It’s important to reward yourself, as you’re working hard to gain new skills and expand your knowledge.
There’s a low chance you’ll complete your goal if you don’t set a deadline, so make sure you write down the date you want to finish each goal by. It will help you stay committed throughout!
Ensure each deadline is realistic and achievable. You can have an overall goal complete date and smaller ones along the way to keep it concise and clear. Once you start and realise you need more time, you can always push it back a week or two depending on your situation.
On a regular basis, go back into your book or laptop with your original goal plans to see how you’re getting on with each goal you’ve set. You don’t want to fall behind or forget something that is really important.
Life can get really busy at times, so it’s always a good idea to set reminders on your phone so you don’t forget about your goals. This way, you stay on track and are one step closer to completing them!
Certain times of the year can be quite tricky, for example exam season or maybe you go away on holiday for two weeks. Make sure you factor this in when setting deadlines and planning your goals, because you need to allow yourself extra time when certain events/occasions arise.
If you follow these simple 10 tips, you should be in a good position to start setting your goals. If you put in the effort, there is a good chance you will succeed! Good luck!
