When it comes to goals, both personal and professional, there are normal people and then there’s me. I track everything. Every mile I run, every cold call I make, every person I have coffee with.
I’m an analytical person, so creating and following systems makes sense to me. But I highly encourage everyone to track the things that are most important to them. It’s a crucial step to achieving your short and long-term goals.
Start With Measurable Goals
You don’t need to go the extra mile and track everything in your life, like I do. Start by identifying what is most important to you. The areas of your life in which you spend the most time. This can include things like exercise, family time, healthy eating, even spirituality. Once you have a clear idea of what is critical in your life, you can create specific, measurable goals for each area.
One incredibly effective way to set goals is to use the SMART method. This means setting goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For example, if one of your critical areas is exercise, a SMART goal might be to run a 5k race in three months. This goal is specific (running a 5k race), measurable (completing the race in a specific time), achievable (with regular training), relevant (to your overall fitness goals), and time-bound (within three months).
Create A System
Once you have set your goals, it’s time to start tracking. Create a system that makes sense to you to track your progress. You might use a simple spreadsheet or write it down in your planner. If you’re a more visual person you could create a graphic with different colors. Either way, the system should be easy, requiring less than a minute of your time to log, and visual so that you can quickly and easily see your progress. Check out our episode of CRE – The Unspoken Truth where we discuss time tracking and Craig’s brokerage team’s system.
The process of logging is just as important as creating the initial system. By spending just a few minutes each day tracking your progress, you can see how you are doing in each important area of your life and make any necessary adjustments.
Tracking your progress can also help you build self-confidence and gives you the opportunity celebrate your wins. For example, if one of your goals is to eat healthier, tracking your daily food intake can show you where you are making positive changes and where you might need to make adjustments. By seeing your progress over time, you can celebrate your wins and feel more confident in your ability to achieve your long-term goal.
Review Your Progress
It’s also important to review your progress regularly and make changes as needed. For example, if you are tracking your exercise and realize you are not meeting your goals, you may need to make changes to your routine or schedule to make it more manageable. By regularly reviewing your progress, you can make small adjustments along the way and stay on track to achieve your goals.
The entire process takes less than 10 minutes to set up and five minutes a day to do. Once you get in the habit of tracking your goals, you’ll find yourself achieving them faster and more efficiently. Don’t wait until the end of the month or year to make changes – set up your system and get going!
Charlie Coppola
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