Goal setting for 2024
Posted on 30th November 2023 at 17:02
As we get to near to Christmas it is a good time to reflect on the year 2023 and whether you achieved what you were hoping to, both in terms of your business and personally.
If you set goals for your business at the start of 2023 then now is a good time to sit back and have a serious look at what you achieved and what you still need to action. Maybe there are things you have achieved this year that weren’t on your original list but became important to you as the year went on.
Perhaps there are things that you really wanted to achieve but haven’t quite got there – that’s ok, it’s all a work in progress!
What is important is having a plan of what you want to achieve written down and then measuring against this plan throughout the year.
Often people have great intentions and set goals but don’t look at them again, and they certainly don’t measure performance against them. The power of measuring regularly against your goals and making sure you are on track means you’ll be able to turn things around if they aren’t going the way you want them to. If provides you the opportunity to get back on track in real time, rather than being disappointed at the year end.
If you want some help goal setting then read on for some top tips.
Top tips for goal setting
Set aside enough time. If you allow yourself enough time to really dream about what you want to achieve you shouldn’t be finished in 5 minutes! Try to find somewhere quiet, get your favourite drink, and a notepad and pen and start writing. The key here is not to feel as though you need to reign in your thinking – dream big. These are your goals so think about what you really want and write it down.
Decide what you want personally, as this will determine how you move your business forward. If one of your goals is to work less hours and spend more time with your family, perhaps a business goal would be to automate some of the day to day admin you get bogged down in.
Put your goals somewhere you can see them. If you put them in the back of your junk drawer chances are you’ll never look at them again. This exercise is most effective when you review regularly and so having your goals somewhere you can see them will mean you are more likely to achieve them.
Decide how you are going to measure results, and how often. Goals are great but if one of your goals is to earn more in 2024 and you don’t review your numbers regularly how will you know whether you can afford to increase your salary?
Book time in your diary to review your goals regularly. If you book time in your diary then you have a fixed appointment with yourself and are more likely to stick to it. By reviewing quarterly you can see if you are on course or whether you need to tweak a few things to get back on the right track.
Be specific about what you want to achieve. If you want to work 3 days a week when do you want that to start? If you want to generate more profit, how much do you want that to be? If you are specific about something then you’re more likely to work towards it, rather than just having a vague idea of what you want.
Getting your goals set up for 2024 now means you’ll be ready to hit the ground running in January and make that your best year yet.
Tagged as: Business Growth, business planning
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