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When it comes to planning, we like to set the big goals, the ones that would really make a difference to our business and to our life. The only problem with this is that big goals usually take a lot longer to achieve which in turn can be demotivating, if you simply can’t see any progress being made quickly.
How can we achieve goals more easily?
One of the big secrets to any goal achievement is the timeframe you set yourself. If your end goal is 12 to 18 months away or even further, then it is important to break your goals down into much more easily achievable sub goals and create action sprints to achieve those. This will keep you much more motivated as an end is in sight at all times and you get little highs from achieving each of the sub goals.
The exciting thing is that this not only works for the super big long-term goals, but for the medium term not so scary goals as well. You can break down any goal and make it super achievable by attacking it in sprints rather than all at once.
Another advantage of this approach is the built-in accountability. As you are aiming for sub goals on a regular basis, you are much more likely to keep on track and within your time budget rather than trying to catch up in the last few days or weeks when your goal end date is approaching fast. You are also more likely to deliver your goal at a higher level of quality.
Add another level to make it even easier
When planning out your sub goals to achieve your annual goals, quarterly sprints are probably a good idea. If you are dealing with shorter term goals, you may want to go for 6-week sprints.
Each of these sprints can be subdivided again. Your quarterly goals divide nicely into 3 milestones, one each at the end of a month. And, of course, for your 6-weekly sprints you’ll be aiming for a milestone every two weeks.
Once you have set your milestones, you can create your action plans. Which actions will take you to achieve your milestones in a timely fashion? These actions can then get incorporated into your weekly plans.
As you can see, you can get really granular with goal setting, even if you are talking about long term plans.
What you don’t want to happen is long term plans that never get realised because their achievement has never been planned out in detail.
How can I help?
If you are one of those people who struggles to get things done, maybe this resource will help. I have created a complimentary weekly planner that can massively improve your productivity. It includes goal setting, motivation, self-care, habit tracking and much more. It also comes with a how-to-use guide so you can get the most out of it. You can download it here.