smart goals

How To Get Things Done Like A Billion Dollar Company

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

When it comes to our day jobs it seems like we can deliver any report, PowerPoint or insert random solution here on time and high quality....

BUT when it comes to our goals in life (money, side hustle, weight loss, etc.) we will sometimes let our goals fall flat and due dates come and go without moving one step in the right direction? 

Maybe it's because at work we have a team that's depending on us. 

Or there's a project manager setting clear due dates and check points. 

Or you really, really, REALLY want that promotion - so you know you have no choice but to get this work done. 

Creating a life you want through earning more money, creating a thriving side hustle, becoming healthier or spending more time with family and friends is like giving your entire life a promotion. You know you can benefit from them in the same way... so it's time to start taking them just as seriously as you do your day job. 

Here's the deal, you can give yourself a good ol' life promotion using the same project management tactics you do at your 9-to-5. 

Here are the steps I use to totally crush every goal I set (and I stole them right from my project manager - she's a certified goal-crushing boss) ... 

Side note:This strategy will not turn you into a goal-focused robot (because real bosses leave time to be spontaneous wallflowers or hit up a bottomless mimosa brunch at a moments notice). Instead, it'll help you master the goals that matter - the ones you want to keep BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.

 

Have someone to hold YOU accountable.

At my 9-to-5, our project manager will call us, email us, and send us instant messages on the day something is due and make sure that we deliver.

Now I'm going to be very clear - I aint got that kinda money to do this in my side hustle. BUT I do have a Facebook group that holds me accountable and makes sure I get my life together and commit to my projects. We regroup every Sunday to talk about our goals for the week and we even will kick each other in the pants if we need a bit of tough love. 

When I was creating The Vision Board Planner, I was hesitant to post it and wanted to do yet another additional round of edits or one additional design change before releasing it on my site. That's when one of the members said "PUT IT OUT ALREADY!" and reminded me that I'd put hard work and effort into it to make it great. At this point I'm just afraid to put it out there - and there was nothing stopping me from re-editing and re-designing it later. End result? I hit my goal. 

Make sure you have someone - anyone - to hold you accountable. And if you friends are a bunch of party animals that spend more time thinking about the next club than their next goal, join a Facebook group.

 

Set a concrete due date for your end goal.

You know in your day job, your boss always says "Can I have this by (insert date here)" when giving you a new project. 

This is where goal setting in life gets tricky. You can give yourself a due date all day long, but there is no one you have to "deliver" it to except your future self. It's also much easier to sit on the couch watching Netflix and convince yourself that you can always do it later. #TheStruggleIsReal

If you want to get results like a boss, you're going to have to set goals like them, too. Set an end date for your goal - one that doesn't give you too much time or too little - and then communicate that to your accountability partner (or your Facebook group).

Setting your end date will also help you with planning out your steps and making sure you're ready on time. 

 

Brainstorm every step you'll need to take to get from where you are to where you're going.

At your 9-to-5, you'll make sure that you spell out every step of your project before you get started and get clarity from co-workers, mentors and bosses. 

In life, it's tempting to just wing it. That's one way to get it done, but you're more likely to complete your goals if you take the same brainstorming approach before you even get started. 

Breaking your goals down into small steps is an important part of the goal setting process because within each goal are small projects that must be completed. For example, if you're going to lose weight, you'll need to get your eating habits in order. You may have to research different diets and choose one. You might have to find a gym that you like and create workout routine.

Keeping all of those steps in your head and overloading your brain will probably give you a major headache (and even keep you from ever getting started). Instead, think about every tiny step that needs to be done and then write them down.

Your goal becomes less daunting and much more approachable once you can see the small steps outlined in one list. 

 

Estimate how many days it will take to complete each task.

Now let's get to the important part in planning out your goal.

You'll need to put all of the steps you'll need to complete your goal in order. Then, write down how long it will take you to complete all of your small projects if you do them WELL. (That means you're giving yourself enough time to deep dive into the project, research it, complete it and then check it to make sure it's right.)

In other words don't think about how much time will it take to complete your goal if everything goes perfectly right and you don't hit any road blocks.

Let's get one thing straight...

Real Life = Random Things Happen = Plan For It!

Once you have your plan laid out it's much easier to see the journey you have to take from start to finish.

 

Add in your vacation + self care days.

To piggy back on my rant, a good project plan also adds in your vacation days and your self care days. While it may seem tempting to "hustle hard" or join the #TeamNoSleep movement, I wouldn't plan it into your work schedule.

Imagine if you planned to pull an all-nighter to write your book AND YOU ACCIDENTALLY FALL ASLEEP (blasphemy!). That would immediately put you off track and inhibit you from reaching your goals. To have a good plan, be realistic about your habits and your me time. Build in Christmas, Easter, birthdays and whatever else is important to you into your schedule. 

I'll be really honest about my life... I don't work on Friday nights or Saturdays. It's actually pretty difficult sometimes to NOT work (because I'm really excited about my work and want to work in my free time) but building in that time to spend with family and friends is important for my sanity. It also allows me to approach my work the next week with a fresh mind and super excited about tacking the week LIKE A BOSS. 

Take note of the holidays, weekends and the days you spend with your family. Your plan should work for you - not the other way around so build that time into your plan!

 

Put it all together into one view.

Now that you have a plan on each step you need to accomplish your goal AND how long it'll take you to do each one, it's time to plan out exactly how you'll get from where you are to where you're going by task and by date (including your self care days).

 

Planning out your goals with this system will make sure that you stick to your goals all the way through AND have the right checkpoints in place to accomplish your goals the right way and on time - just like you do at your 9-to-5.  #winning

 

 

Want To Start Planning Your Vision Board Party? 

  1. Download the FREE vision board party planning checklist.

  2. Craft your inspiring vision board workshop talk with our FREE High Impact Storytelling Journal Prompts

  3. Plan, promote & host your first (or next) professional & profitable vision board workshop with our signature course, Sold Out Vision Board Parties.


About the author

Cyrene is a fun and accomplished workshop facilitator, learning and development guru and Human Resources professional. Being at the helm of Thrive Lounge has been a long-time dream. Through vision board workshops she plans to accomplish two-way learning. Sharing her vast years of knowledge to motivate and encourage others; while simultaneously getting the reward of great energy, ideas and questions to ponder back from each group. A super win-win. Please join our Thrive Lounge community so you too can benefit!

How To Turn Your LARGE Goal Into A Super Legit Action Plan

 
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Are you one of those people that starts looking around in December wondering wtf you're going to do next year? In your head you know that you want this year to be different than the last, you want to break from your shell, do something EPIC... but you don't really now where to start. 

My first year doing a vision board was something like that...

I didn't know what I wanted to accomplish. Heck, I didn't even know what I was capable of. (At that time, I had only successfully accomplished a worthless degree, years of waitressing jobs and overall failing at adulting.) 

However, that was the year I was determined to turn my little sinking ship of life around and (even though I had no idea what I was going to do) I created an action plan that would ultimately help me figure it out. 

 

START WITH A PIE-IN-THE-SKY GOAL. 

Your pie in the sky goal (I also like to call this your dream goal) is a goal that is very large if you look at it from where you currently are. This is a goal that you'll need to step out of yoru comfort zone to reach. You might have to learn a new skill or leverage the help of a team to do something that you've never done before. This is a goal that, over the course of a year will stretch you. 

In my life the goal was simply to stop failing and figure out what I wanted. I planned on pursuing this to the fullest extent of my abilities and with all of my time.

When you've been doing the same thing over and over again for years, it can be hard to find a different version of yourself that is actually succeeding. However, if you take some time to believe that you can achieve more than you currently have, you'll get there. 

 

BREAK DOWN YOUR PIE IN THE SKY GOAL INTO MINI GOALS.

You can't eat your great-grandma's sweet potato pie in one bite... and you wouldn't try to conquer a large goal all at once either. (I know, I'm so corny, but it's true!) Reaching this large goal can seem very daunting, but to make it more manageable (and easier to navigate) you'll want to break that goal down into small pieces. These mini-goals are smaller goals that serve as checkpoints on the way to achieving your overall goal. 

In my example where I wanted to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, my mini goals would be to: 

  1. Take classes in different areas to decide what professions interested me.

  2. Join meetup groups to start networking in different industries.

  3. Choose a graduate program to continue my education.

 

BREAK DOWN YOUR MINI-GOALS INTO ACTIONABLE ITEMS. 

You'll notice that each of these "mini-goals" are relatively large in itself. That's a good thing! Your mini goals can be broken down even further to the daily action items you'll need to make in order to move forward on the goals. 

In my example, to take classes in the different areas to see what professions interest me, I would have to: 

  1. Research free and paid courses that would expose me to new areas.

  2. Register for a new class and put effort into taking the classes and practicing the exercises and doing the homework.

  3. Re-evaluating how I felt about the program and the field as a whole.

  4. Determing whether I wanted to continue taking more of these classes or try out a different professional program.

Not only is the work of learning about different programs tedious, it would require me to continuously walk down paths, conquering challenges and learning new things with no idea whether it would be a worthwhile journey. However, these are necessary steps to follow if I wanted to figure out what I was good at. 

Breaking your mini goals down into smaller action items will help you see the smaller, daily actions you can to take to make your dreams a reality. That way you can start implementing them in your life asap!

The new year is a great time to re-evaluate where you are in your life and where you want to go. Starting your year off with a large goal will put you in a great position to crush your year!

xoxo

Want To Start Planning Your Vision Board Party? 

  1. Download the FREE vision board party planning checklist.

  2. Craft your inspiring vision board workshop talk with our FREE High Impact Storytelling Journal Prompts

  3. Plan, promote & host your first (or next) professional & profitable vision board workshop with our signature course, Sold Out Vision Board Parties.

 

 This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cyrene is a fun and accomplished workshop facilitator, learning and development guru and Human Resources professional. Being at the helm of Thrive Lounge has been a long-time dream. Through vision board workshops she plans to accomplish two-way learning. Sharing her vast years of knowledge to motivate and encourage others; while simultaneously getting the reward of great energy, ideas and questions to ponder back from each group. A super win-win. Please join our Thrive Lounge community so you too can benefit!

Creating A Vision Board? Make Sure You Have These Three Goals First

 
 

Vision Boards are incredibly popular around the beginning of each new year. Friends start hosting Vision Board parties and there is no shortage of #GoalGetter and #NewYearsResolution Instagram posts to use as inspiration for your newest workout routine, green smoothie challenge or amazing travel adventures. 

Over the years, I've created several Vision Boards and each one has pushed me to achieve a new level of success in my education, career and personal life. I am 100% a believer in the power of creating a Vision Board and speaking your success and intentions into existence. 

There are three key goals that I make sure to put on my board that give me the inspiration to keep going when times get tough.  

 

S.M.A.R.T Goals

Every one and their mama seems to be familiar with smart goals. So, I won't go through what they are by the acronym. In short, smart goals are well defined goals that focus on one, specific outcome and give you a timeline to accomplish it. It's no surprise that every educational institution, self-help program, mentor and goal-setting guru push people to create smart goals. When used properly….. they work.

My current Vision Board has a goal of actually paying down a huge chunk of my student loan and credit card debt. This requires that I focus throughout the entire year and have monthly check-ins with my accountability partner. I use smart goals for the larger goals that need to be broken down into smaller, bite-sized pieces.

Smart goals help you keep your eye on the prize and hold you accountable to your large long term goals.

If you aren’t familiar with SMART goals, click here for a great explanation with examples.

 

Dream Goals

Dream goals are those BIG HAIRY AUDACIOUS goals that take you out of your comfort zone and push you to do something you've never done before. One year, I was determined to cross the $75K/year mark income wise, so instead of making a generic goal like "MAKE MONEY" or "GET RICH OR DIE TRYING" (shout out to 50 cent for the most memorable money line in millennial history) I took out a piece of paper and wrote out $75,000 with a green marker and posted it on my board. 

Related Content: How to Guarantee Grad School is Worth Your Time and Money

This allowed me to set a floor for what I would accept as a reasonable salary for my experience and my field. Having it on my Vision Board and keeping my Vision Board visible at all times kept my end goal at the top of mind every day. After several interviews and a large pile of "no, thank you" letters, I had energy and focus in where I was going and what I wanted. 

Set dream goals that are so BIG, you'll have to stretch yourself to get there. Even if you don't accomplish what you wanted, you'll be surprised at how far you can get.  They say reach for the moon and if you don’t make it you’ll still end up in the stars. #truth

 

Lifestyle Goals

Lifestyle goals are honestly my favorite type of goal to set. These are the fun goals that speak your intentions into existence. (Don't you just love empowering sentences? 😃) Rather than setting a tangible, results-oriented goal, your lifestyle goal sets the tone for your big vision. 

I wanted to walk into 2017, shedding the negativity of my past and walking into a life of more adventure. How do you really find a quote for that? You don't! I was able to speak that positivity into my life by getting a collage of pictures and quotes. I found women doing yoga, and bold pink flowers that made me smile on the inside. I added quotes like "YOU DESERVE BETTER" and "LIVE BIG" and "BOLDLY GOING" to constantly remind myself of what type of energy I want to allow into my life.

Your lifestyle goals might seem slightly ambiguous, but these will remind you about the person you want to be and give you a simple guide that you can apply to multiple situations in your life. 

Using all three types of goals on my Vision Board each year helps me to create specific, granular goals as well as pie-in-the-sky goals that push me to fight harder for my dreams. At the end of the year, I'm always surprised at my progress. 

Comment below with some of your current goals!

 

Want To Start Planning Your Vision Board Party? 

  1. Download the FREE vision board party planning checklist.

  2. Craft your inspiring vision board workshop talk with our FREE High Impact Storytelling Journal Prompts

  3. Plan, promote & host your first (or next) professional & profitable vision board workshop with our signature course, Sold Out Vision Board Parties.

 

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cyrene is a fun and accomplished workshop facilitator, learning and development guru and Human Resources professional. Being at the helm of Thrive Lounge has been a long-time dream. Through vision board workshops she plans to accomplish two-way learning. Sharing her vast years of knowledge to motivate and encourage others; while simultaneously getting the reward of great energy, ideas and questions to ponder back from each group. A super win-win. Please join our Thrive Lounge community so you too can benefit!