written by
Chris Gardener

How To Set Goals and Ensure You Stick to Them

Setting Goals 3 min read

1. Did you set goals in 2018?

2. And did you reach those goals?

3. Have you set yourself goals for 2019?

If you’re approaching the year ahead in the way you did last year, maybe it is time to think about this year in a DIFFERENT way?

It can be very revealing to look back on what happened last year.

What caused the outcome? In other words … what worked, and what got in the way last year?

There are common reasons for not meeting goals; we get distracted, other ideas and commitments became urgent and got in the way. In the end we reacted to what was in front of us, and maybe forgot what we considered important at the start of the year?

Maybe this time, as we go into 2019 it’s worth asking yourself “what do I need to change from last year?”.

Setting your goals

What would you love to happen by the end of the year.

How about Financial security?

And if you've got that, how about Freedom?

Here’s an approach that ALWAYS works, because it combines the 80/20 idea AND the 1% Principle.

List down what you want to have or achieve by the end of the year …

From this list, figure out which three of these goals matter the most. Which goals are your priority? What inspires you?

At the start of the year, full of optimisim, it’s easy to be seduced by having many goals. Yet we all know the practical reality: working on too many goals doesn’t work – and puts all of them at risk! It’s like trying to spin too many plates all at once.

Your three goals then become your singular and immediate focus.

Although it seems there’s plenty of time between the start and the end of the year … it is an immediate concern.

If you start making actions now, every day … it will add up and you will get to the results you want!

Next step

Break the three goals down into quarters. What are the milestones you need to pass en route to your annual goal?

Breaking down your goal, makes it MUCH easier to reach it!

You can then forget about the last 3 quarters and focus ONLY on the first …

Split the first quarter into 3 x monthly milestones …

… and then split the first month into weeks.

Creating little steps on how to get there builds a process that will ensure you do get there.

Every action you take, no matter how small, moves you another notch closer to your goal.

To help you apply the philosophy of small consistent steps (instead of relying on massive action) I have a system – some software - to help you.

It’s a system I built to solve my own problem. I’ve found it a game changer for me.

As it’s an automated system, I decided to share it with clients for free, so now they are finding it easier to keep consistent with the small-steps approach.

And they’re seeing the surprisingly effective impact on their results. More focus, less busyness, and still achieving their plans week-by-week.

As it’s working for them I thought I’d make it available for free to a few more, to help and support others to make similar progress without so much busyness.

It’s called the ACC system and it helps you decide what is important and helps you identify and take those small steps, so you make noticeable progress each week, each month, each quarter …which means you reach the annual goal naturally.

You can access this system for free via this special link: the3Fs.com/acc

Plug yourself in, see how it works, see what happens to your performance immediately in the first week. If it suits you, keep using it, and if it doesn’t, unplug yourself – it’s simply a resource for you to use.

Whether you use it or not, what matters is for us to create our futures … and if we didn’t achieve our goals last year, then maybe it’s time to experiment with new approaches for the year ahead.

Borrowing a well-known quote here: “we’re worth it”.

Business mentor focus goals ACC business coach