I believe my annual ritual of defining company and personal goals is one of the reasons we have been successful… and in business…for such a long time (since 1987). I also take the time each year to review my progress from the previous year. I don’t always get everything on my list accomplished, but I notice a common thread in the items that don’t get cleared.

I can usually track the uncompleted goals (or goals that got no traction) to 3 problems:

1. I did not form a clear mental picture of what to do next – Everyone knows that your goals should be well-defined and specific, but you should also have it clearly in mind what the “next step”* should be. Getting healthier or making more money can be great goals, but until you decide how to do that, they are only desires or wishes. Once your goal is more defined (e.g., add a new product line or drink more water), then you need to define the next steps. What does it take to add a new product line?
   • “Research” is not a well-defined or specific next step.
   • “Research what my clients are interested in”… is still too broad for a next step.
   • “Select 10 clients to call to find out what they wish ACT! would do”. OK I can work with that. I have a clearer idea of how to start the project by defining a good next step.

Of course, after that step is accomplished, I need to be sure I have another next step defined as well.

2. I did not change anything. Since many goals require change of some kind, think about adding one habit that supports your goal. Sometimes, even tiny changes in your ritual can make all the difference.
   • What if each morning before I opened up my Inbox, I made it a rule that I have to review my goals and determine if there is any “next step” I need to add to the day’s agenda. It’s just a tiny thing, but that habit starts my day well.
   • What if every morning when I get a cup of coffee, I build in a habit to also get a glass of ice water to take back to my desk as well.
3. I did not create an environment to support my success – Change is usually hard, but sometimes you can change your environment to make it easier. Think about it. If you have tasks that are hard for you to do, how could you change your thoughts or the surroundings to make the task easier. Environmental tweaks can beat self-control any time.
   • What if I scheduled a recurring activity in my calendar for each Monday morning to “Review goals and schedule next steps”? What if during that time I had a rule that during that 15 minutes, I did not do anything else. No email, no calls, no web-surfing… just a focused 15 minutes each Monday morning.  I can  put my goals list that I am working on in the “Details” section of the activity, so that I have quick access to the goals that I am working on for the year.
   • What if I use the concept of proximity and put my water bottles next to the coffee cups… it would make it easier to remember each day to take water to my desk, along with the coffee.

Some New Years resolutions are easier than others to accomplish. For the tough ones, check the three pitfalls against what you hope to accomplish and see if you can’t give your goals a better chance at success. Each element requires some thinking… but I promise it is well worth the time.

*I attribute my understanding of Next Steps to David Allen and Getting Things Done® (registered trademarks of David Allen Company -www.davidco.com) and highly encourage you to understand more abount his methods of productivity: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity 

If you are a GTD follower already, we have an add-on to ACT! that puts Projects and Next Steps inside of ACT at your fingertips: http://www.cornerstonesolutions.com/solutions/GPD4CRM.html

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