Organizing your Goal Setting for September

September is the new January…that is, when it comes to Goal Setting.

Make this first day of September your New Years Day….

This may not be the first time you are hearing this, however it is something that you may want to try. Typically people set New Years resolutions, or goal setting, in January. When you think about it, January is probably the worst time of the year that anything action related would happen.  Here in the northern hemisphere it is cold, dreary and to be honest the energy for starting something new just isn’t there.

September is actually a much better time to embark on a new initiative.  Energy levels are high after the restful summer vacation period and most people are itching to sink their teeth into something active. Activities that will propel them in new and exciting directions.

Goal Setting Techniques

The goals you are contemplating may be personal goals or it could be the achievement of career goals. Authors like James Ray have provided some techniques to segment your goals into the specific areas of life. By doing this you can organize your goals using the five Pillars of life which are; Financial, Relational, Mental, Physical and Spiritual.

SMART Goals

By incorporating a system of setting SMART Goals you will stay on track, be motivated and yes….organized. Use these guidelines and you will be achieving amazing results in no time.

• The goal must be Specific, state it in a way that you or anyone who hears it will know exactly what it is that you want.

• The goal must be stated in terms that are Measurable, this will let you know that you have reached the goal, or not.

• The goal needs to be something that is going to stretch you beyond your comfort zone and at the same time is Attainable.

• Most times the R is Realistic, however recently I was introduced to the R as being Risky. This is great because you really do want to add a bit of risk, it needs to feel uncomfortable, this discomfort is a sure sign of growth.

• The last component requires that you set a Timeline for the goal. Some goals may take longer than others, be realistic about the time you will need for completion.

A Goal is just a lonely Noun

Setting a goal is great, but by itself a “goal” is just a lonely noun. Goal setting is only the beginning. In order to make the goal a reality, concrete action is required.  These actions are the things that you do consistently on a day-to-day basis that give the goal life.

Managing your GOALS with technology

There are several ways to handle goal management. With online technology you can use one of the free programs available that allow you to enter your action plan for reaching your desired goals.  I recently found a very cool tool called Teamly. In their words this is what the site does…”Teamly is a new kind of productivity tool based around a simple question: if you could only get 5 things done today, what would they be? Teamly helps you avoid unrealistic to-do lists and focus on what really matters—so you can get the right work done.” They had me at Productivity and focus. Also incorporating the “Top 5” methodology makes goal achieving Realistic, that other R that I did not use previously. You can sign up free at TEAMLY to manage your goals online.

If you have a desire to use traditional methods for goal achieving a “Top 5” methodology is the most effective tool for making it all happen. In simple terms you pick the Top 5 actions that you will do on a weekly basis, yes you heard right, only 5 per week. By completing these very strategic actions you will realize the set goals without overwhelming yourself with the traditional unmanageable to do list.

While you are enjoying the last few dog days of summer you can set aside time to create a goal plan…so when September rolls around you can hit the ground running.