Picture source: Picsello
New Year 2024 is approaching and it's that scary time of the year again: it's time for you to review, reflect and evaluate your progress to date. Whether personal or professional, 100 days before end of the year are a good time to review all of your year-end goals, ensuring you end the year with plenty of “wins” to look back on. As the term suggests, “year-end goals” are personal or professional goals you set for yourself in October or November; the months that make up the “end of the year”. This is the period of time between your goals at the beginning of the year and what you hope to achieve by the end of the year. As a result, many people often use this time to reflect on the progress towards their current goals - identifying what they may need to pivot, change or improve to achieve their aspirations in the future.
Here are four steps for setting and achieving your end of year goals.
1. Review your progress so far
Before setting new goals, it's helpful to review the progress you've made since the beginning of the year. Take time to celebrate all the successes you've achieved so far, big or small, before moving on to the next challenge. Who knows, you may have achieved a large part of your goals for the year; and now you have space to create a few new ones. On the other hand, avoid focusing on your mistakes. Instead, use these “gaps” as opportunities to enhance your skills, experience and knowledge; or simply readjust your goals. Also, remember to thank those who have helped you along the way - they may even play a contributing role in your future goals.
2. Identify what you want to achieve
Once you have reassessed your life so far, clearly identify the next goals you want to achieve. The more specific the better; these details help you plan the correct steps towards success. Vague goals are also often the reason why goals fail in the first place. However, if you break down your career goals into more detailed goals, like “take on a new project,” “develop new skills,” or “prepare for a promotion”; they become easier, clearer, more measurable goals to begin with.
3. Be realistic
It's important to be realistic about your abilities, both in terms of skills and time. If you still have a lot of work and family responsibilities to attend to, filling the second half of the year with a myriad of complex goals may not be the easiest solution to implement. Likewise, when thinking about your previous goals, you should be honest about their feasibility from the start. Perhaps taking on a management role mid-year may not be the most realistic, based on your current experience and skills. Adjusting this to a new goal of “completion of a business management course” can help you gradually work towards this ambition, while also setting yourself a much more reasonable goal for the remainder of your career. year.
4. Set deadlines
Finally, planning ahead and setting deadlines is essential. This goes hand in hand with clear and specific goals. Without a set date, your progress may slow down. It's the same effect people often have with New Year's resolutions: attempting change without considering any time horizon can lead to procrastination and loss of focus. When setting bi-annual goals, break them down into realistic, time-based milestones that you can work towards, helping you maintain a disciplined schedule of progress.
Source: Upskilled