Write Down Your Goals
“Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage but simply because they have never organized their energies around a goal.”-Elbert Hubbard (writer and artist)
Sometimes as a business owner, you become so overwhelmed, the only thing you can do is take it one step at a time. And, although th
is may get you through the week, it’s not going to help grow your business. Real growth comes from writing out the goals you plan to achieve–and then putting those goals into action.
Here are some “rules” to follow when creating metrics and other goals:
Specific- Know exactly what your goal is.
Measurable- Know whether you achieved the goal.
Achievable- Speaks for itself.
Relevant- Relates to the big picture.
Time Bound- When will you reach the goal?
Did you know…only 3% of the population has written goals? And, they earn ten times more than the rest.
If you truly want to see improvement and growth in your company, take the time to create SMART goals. Then, be sure to make yourself and your employees accountable for those goals. Otherwise, you will always be taking it a day at a time.
Sincerely,
Clate Mask
CEO, Infusionsoft
I have been stressing to many of my associates that you should write down your goals. I thought this would make an excellent reference, from the eyes others that have found how effective the process really is.
I have very scattered thinking patters, my mind tends to wander. I tend to open a new window to work on something and then forget about it halfway through to work on what I was working on previously. At any given time I am generally working on about 3-5 specific issues.
I have alleviated the worst parts of my habit by keeping a series of notebooks sorted by topic at my desk. Then if I have an idea that pertains to the section of my life I write it down. This enables me to remain focused even when being bombarded by new ideas.
This creates a sort of simple ticket system that allows me to verify the work I have completed. Each page that is completed means I’m a page closer to being where I want to be.
Currently I am setting a milestones page for RocketScience Network that will outline the goals of each site and the versions of the course of it’s evolution. This will enable others to get more involved with the day to day operations of the network. That way I can focus my activities on more difficult operations of the business.
I have Google Docs spreadsheets as well that I have the ability to share with my associates that outline many of the steps that I use to get a specific site up and running. There are no explanations to the steps currently but eventually it will be formulated into a complete process that can be replicated by others.
Organization is the key to being effective. Organized thought patterns will have a strategic advantage over those that are using less organized thought processes. If what Clate says is true, then simply by writing down your goals you are already categorizing yourself in the top 3%.
I tell my associates you should always strive to be in the top 10%. So it seems logical to me that writing down your goals is a necessary step to take to meet that goal. Ideas are not what brings success, action brings success. The more you can do to create productive action, the more success you will bring into your life.
I have been stressing to my associates that they should write down there goals. I have found that although my thinking is very scattered, so is everyone elses. I have personally overcome this obstacle by writing down every idea that comes to my brain when I’m working.
I have set aside a notebook of
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Yeah, you don't gotta tell me about all the improvements that need to be made. Working on them now. Damn the lost data to hell working on restoring the network to better than it was previously. Please excuse the mess. What Happened?! -
