Goal setting and end-of the year reflections always start a little earlier for me than for most people. As soon as people start to plan for the Christmas days, I already start planning days on which I start strategizing for the company as well as my personal life.
I think I unconsciously started with goal setting at a very young age, since my entrepreneurial dad always encouraged me to think and live with the end goal in mind. For the past 4 years, I have created a basic blueprint for me to fill out every year, making it easier to formulate my goals and to reach them. I truly live by the saying "failing to plan, is planning to fail". I get nervous when I do not have a plan or schedule and don't know where I am headed.
Here's how I set my goals in order to achieve them.
Step 1: Create up to five categories in which you want to set goals.
For me, these are:
Health
This category is a must every single year. Health is always the #1 goal for me. It is a starting point that allows me to flourish in all other aspects of life, as well as reach my goals in other categories. Personally, I believe health should be part of everyone’s goals because if you are genuinely sick, the only thing you can think about is getting better. This can be absolutely devastating for the rest of your goals.
Personal Development
This category includes different areas in which I would like to develop my skills. Think about things like improving your English pronunciation or deciding which books you would like to read to increase knowledge on a certain topic. For me, this category also includes goals on how I want to improve my personal presentation, increase my knowledge of Islam, and decide which countries I "must" travel to.
Business/Financial
This category includes some of the major goals I want to achieve with our company. Even though we obviously have separate strategy and goal-setting sessions for our brand, I like to include them because Osoe is such a big part of my life, and I truly experience joy in achieving our dreams. Other things in this area include how much I’m going to invest in shares, crypto, and real estate.
Step 2: Think big and set a number of measurable goals per category and write down your "why's".
SMART-goals
While I do not want you to overcomplicate things with SMART goal setting, it is useful to set measurable goals so you can tick them off once you achieve them. You can ask ChatGPT how to set SMART goals. Do not create more than five goals per category.
Set your why
Make sure you establish a "why" for each goal. If the reason why you want to achieve this goal is not clear, you might fail to achieve it. It needs to make sense, and when you do not feel motivated, you can go back to your "why" and remind yourself why you are putting in the effort. This is an important one!
Step 3: Slice your shiny main goals into quarterly goals and weekly or even daily tasks.
Quarterly goals, weekly tasks
What are the different things you need to do for the goals to become a reality? Set a number of quarterly goals that accumulate up to the big goal you want to achieve. Then, write down what you actually need to do per week or even per day.
If you struggle with this, use AI! Open up ChatGPT and tell it what your big goal is. Ask it to break the goal down into quarterly goals, monthly/weekly tasks, and daily tasks. The generated plan might need some tweaking, but it will for sure get you started.
Check your agenda; manage your time
Make sure you check the general activities in your agenda and start planning the hours you need to work towards your goals. This is a tricky one because often, new goals require more hours. Make sure you have the time! If not, make some realistic cuts in your goals or your social life—for example, by saying "no" more often.
Step 4: Build discipline and an accountability & reward system.
Build discipline
Motivation comes and goes. It's a fact. Therefore, you must build discipline. I recommend that you not jump right into it by scheduling 10 new habits you must perform daily. Start slow with one new habit and add a new one every two weeks. I want you to think long-term and prevent you from giving up. Because honestly, it should challenge you a little. This year, you are going for results.
Accountability and reward system
Creating an accountability system is something I personally lacked for the last couple of years. Without accountability, you cannot track whether you are progressing or not. You should hold yourself accountable for your actions because your actions are building blocks for achieving your goals eventually. I block my Sundays for reflection and planning the upcoming week. This means minimal work for Osoe and no scheduled meetings.
Reward yourself for milestones. Celebrating small wins keeps you motivated for the long haul.
Step 5: Make it visual.
Visionboard
Write your goals on a big board you pass by frequently. I used to have one when I still owned my apartment, and my sis always told me when we were randomly visualizing to "put it on the board." Somehow, everything that was put on there became a reality. It felt almost like magic.
Long-term and upcoming year
I used to have a long-term board and a board for the upcoming year stating my goals for the year in wording, but also in pictures. For the long-term goals, you can think really big. People often overestimate what they can do in a single year, yet underestimate what they can achieve in five years!
Goal setting isn’t just about writing down dreams—it’s about creating a realistic plan and taking action. This year, make your goals more than just resolutions. Turn them into achievements. You’ve got this!