I’ve got a little secret to share that might be a surprise coming from a goal setter like myself. I’m not a fan of new year’s resolutions. There it is. I said it. 🤷🏼‍♀️

It’s not that I don’t love the idea of a fresh start and goal setting, those are some of my favorite things! But I definitely think your typical new year’s resolution is not that helpful and most of us need to rethink the way we start the new year.

I’m a big dreamer. Sit me down for a few minutes, give me a problem or sprout of a dream and I’m likely to come up with more ideas than I know what to do with. It’s one of my favorite things to do, but y’all, it gets real overwhelming, real quick. So this year I’m committing to setting my 2019 business goals strategically, and I want to help you do the same!

If you’re anything like me, you come up with a few HUGE business goals that you want to accomplish by the end of year, and by the time February or March roll around, you’ve either forgotten those goals or haven’t made any progress on them yet. Then those ugly imposter syndrome thoughts flood back into your mind and you wonder if you’ll ever actually get anything done or if you’re even cut out for this entrepreneur thing after all.  It’s kind of the worst and it’s also classic to the average creativepreneur like yourself.

So before you finalize your goals and plans for 2019, consider this doable way to create and, more importantly, keep your new year’s resolutions.

SET ONE BIG GOAL THAT YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH IN 1 – 3 MONTHS

One of the most common mistakes we make as entrepreneurs is to set goals that are so big they actually contain 3 to 8 smaller goals inside the one huge goal. Then we get overwhelmed because it can be SO hard to start a massive project like “redo website” or “go full time.” Then, if we do get started, the finish line is so far away that it’s hard to imagine we will ever make it. Next thing you know, the motivation is lost, 2020 comes along and it’s time to set goals again. The struggle is real, y’all.

But there really is a better way and you can totally do it!

Marathon runners know that they can’t just jump in a race and hope to finish. It takes training. As entrepreneurs and business owners, we may not need to go through the physical training of a marathon runner, but we do need mental training. We need to prove to ourselves that we can actually get. crap. done! But friend, that won’t happen if we just jump into our marathon goal and hope for the best.

So instead of setting a huge marathon goal, let’s set one goal that we can reasonably finish in 1 to 3 months.

Yep, that’s right. Just set ONE goal, and make sure that you can finish that goal in 1 to 3 months.

This might make you feel like an underachiever at first. You might look over your shoulder at what’s-her-name, who always seems to be getting #allthethings done (probably even while working beachside, amiright?). But we’ve gotta focus up, get rid of those negative thoughts, concentrate on that one goal and get it done.

Let’s look at the two main benefits of setting one big goal at a time.

First up: motivation. If you set a huge marathon goal and begin to fall behind, it’s easy to lose motivation and quit. If you set an attainable 1 – 3 month goal, you can have a rough couple of weeks or months and still know that you can finish well. Heck, you can even fall 8 months behind and still accomplish your goal by the end of the year! Aim low and avoid disappointment, am I right? 😉 It’s not that we shouldn’t aim high and dream big, but unless we plan realistically, those big dreams will only ever be dreams.

Second, when you set an attainable 1-3 month goal you could actually be done with that goal by the end of January! Wouldn’t that feel amazing?! All the achievers and box-checkers rejoice! 😉  Now that you’ve completed that goal, you have the rest of the year to set another 1-3 month goal and accomplish that one too. When you’ve finished your second goal? Repeat the process again and again. Soon enough you will become the entrepreneur that people see and ask, “How in the world does she get so much done?”

PRACTICAL GOAL CRUSHING TIPS

• One of the BEST things you can do to make real progress on your 1-3 month goal is to break it down into smaller goals or checkpoints that can be accomplished in a single day or week. That way each week you can focus on one thing that can actually get accomplished and push your project forward! Need more productivity help this year? Check out my 9 Productivity Hacks!

• This one’s for my big dreamers out there! If you have a huge goal like going full time or replacing your spouse’s income, take that huge goal that might take a year or two to accomplish and break it up into smaller 1-3 month goals. Map it out on a piece of paper or a whiteboard and remind yourself of what you’re fighting for and how you’ll actually get there. Then focus back in on your smaller goal and get it done!

So here’s to rethinking new year’s resolutions and making some real strides this year! Let’s set those smaller attainable goals, get ‘em done, and then do it over and over again! 💪🏽💪🏽

I’d love to hear from you! Was this helpful for you and your business? What’s your first 1-3 month goal for 2019? Drop a comment below, and let’s talk about it!