2017 is here! With a new year comes fresh opportunities and for many it will mean new, or revised goals. The question is: how are you going to keep on track as we move into the year?
There is the cliché quote that “What gets measured gets done” and I would recommend for all of you goals you find a way to measure two things:
- the actions you are taking to achieve the goal
- the progress you are making towards the overall desired outcome
Take a moment to think about your current goals. Do you have ways of measuring that you are working towards them successfully and that the desired results are happening? If you don’t then take a moment now to work out what those measures could be.
Once you have decided on those measure you need to decide a recording option that works for you.
Although, I have been aware of tracking for years, I only really took the idea seriously after reading Darren Hardy’s The Compound Effect
Take the time to think about a system that works for you and the goal you working towards. For example, I use a calendar to track the exercise I do. I simply fill it in every time I do some exercise with brief description such as 5-mile run, 30 minutes of yoga. Having a calendar on my bedroom wall works for me because 97% of the time I am at home before or straight after I exercise. If you are going to be tracking your spending habits, you might want something that is more mobile so you can make a note at the time of spending.
Once you have decided on a tracking method, you also need to schedule in times to review! You made your goals for a reason, so it is important to check you are actually taken the actions you know you need to take and that those actions are having the desired effect. I would get into the habit of regular reviewing so on the same day every week, or on the 1st of the month. If you have any doubt that you will forget that put a reminder in your calendar or diary.
