90 Day Goals. Why?
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Goals . . . We’ve all set them. We’ve all failed miserably at achieving them too! So, let’s get real about why they aren’t working and what we can do to fix that.
Here’s how it usually goes, on January 1st we sit down with a blank piece of paper and write down all of those big picture goals we want to accomplish in the coming year. And by January 6th the list is nowhere to be found. Right?
So, first off, let’s don’t even worry about January, okay? You can start making and crushing goals any day of the year! I do like to break mine down into quarterly goals because of business, but we can ease into that later.
I keep my goals list (and so many other things) in a Trello board so that I can easily reference back to them. Have you tried Trello? It’s a life-saver!
But for the hard work, what I do to actually get to my goals is use PowerSheets. This is an amazing system by Lara Casey. I have gotten so much accomplished by using her "Make It Happen" mentality.
You have to dig a little deeper to build that goals list. They need to be well-defined and measurable. They need to be achievable in a relatively short time frame too.
Before you even consider your goals, let’s talk about a few other big picture items: values and priorities.
Values
Values will always* be the same. These are our do or dies. The things we stand beside, stand on, our back bone, nothing crosses this line kinda stuff. When setting your goals be sure you aren’t misaligned with your value system.
Priorities
You may not think these would change, but yes, over time priorities shift. As we go through different seasons in life, areas of our lives will become more important than others.
As an example, when our middle son was born he had some severe health issues. We almost lost him. He is as strong as can be today! But guess what changed in that moment? Our priorities! In the blink of an eye work didn’t matter, salaries didn’t matter, the number on the scale didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except taking care of this little boy.
There will be times when the family life is a little crazier (hopefully not as dramatic as what we experienced), the kids are involved in several activities that take up alot of time, maybe a parent becomes sick . . . when we may not be able to thrive at our next big plan we had for our business. And that’s okay. That’s life, and we adjust our priorities and do the best we can in that season.
Re-evaluate
Every few months I like to evaluate where I am with my priorities. Sometimes life will just do this for me though! How sweet?! Haha! But I sit down and think about how I am doing in the main areas of my life: relationships, health, finances, personal growth, my business, etc. If I find myself lacking in an area or two that truly is a priority to me, I know it’s time to refocus.
I figure out what I’d like to “fix”, get back on track or really accomplish over the next 90 days.
Why 90 days?
Because it’s doable. Because it’s just enough time to really make a big push, to form a new habit and to crush a goal I’ve been wanting to hit for a long time.
90 Day Goals
Once I know those areas I want to focus on, I brainstorm what I’d like to accomplish in the next 90 days. I make a list of 4 - 6 goals I want to crush in the next 90 days. Let’s say I wanted to work on my relationships and profitability in my business over the next 3 months.
So those goals I jotted down might look something like this . . .
Have one date night each month.
Turn off my phone at 9:00pm each night.
Family dinner together 3 times a week.
Bring on 6 new clients.
Cut cost of goods sold by 2%.
Team up with another like-minded business to cross market.
You get the idea. These goals will be the 6 things you really focus on over these next 90 days to keep moving forward.
Post these 6 goals somewhere you can see them every day. And look at them each morning! I'll plug my obsession with Trello again right here :)
Next steps
Schedule in your goals. So, if my goal is to have one date night each month I am going to go ahead and mark that date in my calendar. I also jot the dates down on my goals list beside that goal as a little reminder. What are the very next steps I need to do to make that happen? Hire a babysitter? Make a reservation? Brainstorm ideas? These go to the top of my to do list!
You should always know what the next step is toward accomplishing a goal. If not, it just kinda keeps floating out there with no action taken towards it. Keep writing down your next steps towards each goal every day, every week. And keep these next steps towards the top of your to-do list. These should be ten minute little tasks to keep moving your closer to your goal. If you know you need a big chunk of time a few days a month, schedule that into your calendar. And don’t let anything get in the way of that time you’ve devoted to accomplishing your goal. You will be amazed at how much you can get done in just a few months!
I’m so excited to hear about your next 90 day goals. What’s on your list?
