Have you ever thought about your untapped potential – dreams of what might be possible on a different path? But turning your thoughts into reality is where it usually fails.
We know goal setting is important, but how do we set goals that we’ll achieve?
In so many areas of our lives, the importance of long-term planning is well recognised – studying for a career move, paying off the home loan, retiring in comfort.
But what’s often overlooked is the importance of setting short-term goals – despite it being one of the most powerful techniques to being more productive and achieving goals.
Here’s some reasons why...
Short-term goals are relatable
Having a vision for our lives (or businesses) is important – and something we should spend time creating.
But usually, there’s a huge disconnect between that vision, and our current reality.
For example, a common long-term goal is clearing the home loan – but if we look a bit closer, often only the standard repayments are happening… even when interest rates were lower.
That’s a disconnect between the vision and the reality – it’s too hard to invest in a vision (clearing the home loan) when it is too far removed from the present.
If you’ve ever caught yourself saying “I’ll start next month”, that’s a sign!
But if we set a series of short-term goals, that build to the long-term vision, it can be much more effective. If we think back to our example of clearing the home loan:
Set a goal to pay off an extra $5,000 in the next year.
That’s an extra $192 each fortnight.
Change your auto-repayments to increase by that amount.
And it builds from there.
A goal is a dream with a deadline. – Napoleon Hill
Using a positive reinforcing loop
You won’t be surprised to hear that short-term goals can be easier to achieve than the long-term ones – and this is a good thing!
As we achieve our goals, our confidence in our ability to achieve more grows. It may sound too simple but don’t under-estimate the power of this positive reinforcement loop.
The more (mini) short-term goals you can achieve, the more likely you’ll achieve more goals in the future. It’s all about action in bite-size pieces.
When you're starting, you could try making your goals so small that it's impossible to fail – lean into the positive reinforcement loop.
Ready, set, go!
A short-term goal has a clarity that creates focus – think of a (small’ish) goal with a nearing deadline and it creates a sense of urgency.
If your life vision incorporates health and fitness and running marathons, what do you need to do today to achieve that? – “Argh, where to start!”
But if instead, the goal starts small – run 10km each week for the next month – that’s more achievable. It suddenly seems doable to fit a couple of 5km runs into the weekly schedule.
And with that ‘win’ under your belt, it builds and grows.
Full disclosure: running is not my thing – at all – I’m more of a Pilates gal ;)
Setting short term goals
When you’re setting goals, there’s a simple process to improve your success. Let's break down the steps...
1. Your vision
Paint a picture in your mind’s eye of what you want to be doing in your life and build in the purpose – the WIFM. It sounds corny but you need to truly connect with whatever your vision is.
It’s an old-school approach, but write it down – electronically, notebook, wherever. But be clear, this vision is what you’re striving for.
2. Your 30-day goal
Now break down your vision into achievable milestones – the long, medium and short-term goals.
A short-term goal is commonly thought of something in the next 12-18 months but to get started, try setting yourself a goal that you can achieve in 30 days – this is about building your positive reinforcement loop.
Again, write it down – a post-it on your bathroom mirror, a daily appointment with yourself – whatever works for you to keep it front of mind.
3. Make it a SMART goal
SMART = Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time-Framed.
Remember the focus is successfully achieving your goal – and the phrasing of it is important.
So instead of ‘go for a run’ use ‘run 10km every week for the next month’.
Your accountability partner
Any new habit takes practice and having someone to keep you accountable always helps:
If you are working on your fitness goals, a personal trainer helps you stay on track.
And if you are working on your money goals, your money coach is there for you.
At Nutshell Money we formulate an action plan around your vision –, focusing on the achievable and guiding you with quick wins to set you on the right path.
If you need more personal education and guidance, we do that too. Just like a personal trainer at the gym, we coach you as you work towards your goals – and sustainable habits for your everyday money management.
Schedule a complimentary call using the link below, and we can discuss if Nutshell Money is the right fit for you.
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