If you’re not planning on success, then chances are that success is not going to happen for you any time soon. The end of the year is fast approaching as I write this and if you haven’t already, it’s time to think about your goals for the next 12 months. I’m going to walk you through my own goal-setting process and help you set goals for your personal brand business so you can chase them down.
If not now…. when?
What do you want to have done by this time next year? We just held our 3rd Youpreneur Summit in London and our theme was ‘if not now… when?’ That’s what I want you to focus on when you are planning for 2020. If you are sitting there, thinking there’s something you want to achieve but not putting the steps in place to chase it down, ask yourself when you are going to make a start. What’s stopping you? And what are you going to do about it?
There are three types of goals you need to set:
- Short – what you want to achieve by the end of the next three to six months
- Long – where you will be in a year or maybe 2 years
- Longer-term – what’s your big dream? This could be 5 or even 10 years into the future.
How to decide on your goals
I start planning my goals in the last quarter of the year. This year is a bit different, I started planning for 2020 in January this year. But usually, I begin in September and I take time on my own to start planning out the year. Then I really zoom in on my goals with my wife Erz and my team.
I start by looking at three or four really big goals. And I mean big. You need to choose goals that maybe scare you a little bit – not so much that you don’t attempt them, but they should stretch you.
How do I choose those goals? I start by looking at what’s gone well in the past year. I celebrate my wins. It’s important that you do this. It helps put you in a positive frame of mind. You can see what worked, what didn’t, and what you want to build on.
The first thing I put at the top of my plans are my Most Important Goals. These are non-negotiables. The things I am determined to achieve. After that, I look at my small win goals. You need to know what is most important to you and set your goals accordingly.
What are you NOT going to do?
When we think about goal setting and the year ahead, we tend to focus on the actions we are going to take. But just as important as knowing what you are going to do, and committing to taking that action, is knowing what you are not going to do.
Remember, when you say yes to something, you are saying no to something else. You have identified three big scary goals. You’ve set out your short, long, and longer-term objectives. You know what you want to do. Now you need to think about what you are not going to do so you can go all-in on getting to where you want to be.
Remember, when you say yes to something, you are saying no to something else. Once you’ve set your goals, you need to think about what you are not going to do so you can go all-in on getting to where you want to be. #Youpreneur Click To TweetCreate an action plan
List your goals, including the things you are committed to not doing, and map out what you are going to do to make your dreams happen. The easiest way to do this is to reverse engineer it. If you are going to launch a podcast, for instance, start with that and then map back all the steps you need to take to get there.
If you have said you won’t take on particular tasks, or you want to take every Friday off, like me, you need to think about how you are going to do that. Do you need to outsource by bringing virtual staff into your business? If so, you need to be thinking about what needs to be done, mapping out processes, and finding the right people to work with.
Start with your longer-term goals. What’s the big thing you want to achieve in five years’ time? Now think about what you need to have done by December 2020 to be on course to do that. Plan back from December, month by month, week by week.
Next you need to do the same with your long-term goals. What you should end up with is a list of the actions you need to complete in the next three to six months to accomplish your long, and longer-term goals.
If you have goals written down that you were planning to work on during the first six months of the year that are not on this list, then consider whether those short-term goals are useful to you or not. This is a good way to ensure you are not being distracted by shiny object syndrome. Everything you do needs to be focused on chasing down those game-changing goals you have set yourself.
Commit to taking daily action
What are you going to have done 30 days from now? I get everybody who comes to the Youpreneur Summit to do write down their 30-day action plan. I give everyone a card which says, “It’s 30 days from now and I’ve…” and ask them to fill it out.
You must commit to taking daily action. You know what you need to do in the next three to six months, where you want to be in a year or two years from now, and where you are headed in the longer term. Now you need to pledge what you will do over the next 30 days to make that happen because if not now…. when?
If you are looking for accountability and want a group of like-minded entrepreneurs to help you chase down your goals, then look at joining the Youpreneur Academy. I’d love to see you on the inside and help you make 2020 a success.
Chris founded Youpreneur® in 2015. He is a serial entrepreneur, keynote speaker and author of the bestselling books “Virtual Freedom” and “Rise of the Youpreneur”. He hosts our podcast, live events and coaches our clients inside the Youpreneur Incubator. Chris is based in Cambridge, UK.
