Personal Goal Setting and Management - Planning for the Year Ahead

The start of a New Year is a great time to plan for what you want to achieve. What better time than to invest in yourself and set a course for the future. As you reach your goals you will need to set new ones. How do you do this in a powerful and focused way?

Here are 10 Essential Questions to ask now to make the most of the next year.

1. What is your 5-year plan?

What do you want to be doing professionally and personally in five years time? How do you want to be feeling? For example what will you be doing, how much income will you be earning, where will you be living, how much time will you be spending with your family? Keeping in mind your five year vision will help set goals for the next 12 months.

2. What is your vision for the next year?

How do you see the year unfolding? Visualise yourself in 12-months time, reflecting back on the year. What does it look like? What does success look like in a year's time?

Use this vision to add to your goals. If your planning on a holiday imagine yourself on the beach for example. This will inspire your goals and then make feasible plans to make the vision a reality.

3. What is your mission for the next year?

Who will you help? What problems will you provide solutions for? What new skills will you learn? This is the doing rather then dreaming. How will you go about achieving your goals and vision.

4. Set five key goals to be achieved.

Keep to no more than five specific goals. Write them down. Goals set the big picture achievements for the year. Have both personal and business or career goals. It might be something small like painting a room or something larger like moving house. Write it down.

5. What are the specific strategies or tasks that will help you achieve these goals?

These are the "how to's". Make them specific and achievable. Use the OAT formula - Outcome - Action - Timeline.

6. How often will you review your goals?

Write in your diary now a reminder to review them at least every 3 months. Some people like to review them on a monthly, weekly or even daily basis!

7. Conduct a personal SWOT Analysis.

In the past year, what were your Strengths and what were your Weaknesses? What are the Opportunities for the next year? What are the Threats stopping you achieving your new goals?

8. Reality Check.

How will you measure whether you have achieved your goals? What are the milestones or performance criteria that set the benchmark for measuring your success?

9. How will you balance work with personal interests?

What will be the mix of fun & learning, health & fitness, career & finance, love & belonging?

10. How will you reward yourself for achieving your goals in 2003?

How will you celebrate?

Having all this mapped out is as important as effective business management. Managing your goals, prioritising and evaluating ensures your next 12 months will be as successful personally as professionally.

Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries. You can subscribe by visiting http://www.8mmedia.com Thomas can be contacted directly at +6189388 6888 and is available to speak to your conference, seminar or event. Visit Tom's blog at http://www.8mmedia.blogspot.com

---

Goal Setting - My Disappointing Discovery

Goal setting has become almost an industry in itself with... Read More

Use the Law of Attraction to Build Your Business

Have you ever had something you wanted just fall into... Read More

Overcoming Discouragement

We have all had times in our lives where someone... Read More

19 Ultimate Success Tips for your Online Business

1. Your first ultimate start must include written goals and... Read More

Intense Desire: Rocket Fuel When You Set Goals!

Have you set goals, personal or business, and failed to... Read More

Left Your Job ?On A Matter of Principle?! Now what?

Let's get started with the emotional part!1. Take time out.... Read More

Keep That Focus!

One of the things most critical to home business success... Read More

Finding Your Niche

Why are there so much stress and unhappiness in the... Read More

Set Goals In Life

It is important to set goals in life. To accomplish... Read More

Master Your Destiny

Do you have a goal for the future that you... Read More

Setting Financial Goals - Part 1

Setting goals is difficult enough without adding the word finance... Read More

A New Conversation About Dreams - Integrity: The Key to Getting What You Want

The most critical attribute for realizing our dreams is integrity.... Read More

Ask yourself, So what?

Neil Armstrong made his first moon walk on July 20,... Read More

How To Get Real

"What we need most, is not so much to realize... Read More

On Achievement

If a comatose person were to earn an interest of... Read More

Goal Setting: 5 Simple Steps

One of the things that frustrated me while in school... Read More

Want to Learn Something New Today?

How many times do you say, "Gee, I wish I... Read More

Set SMART Goals to Achieve More

Are you having trouble achieving your goals, or getting through... Read More

Climb and Summit Mt. Goals

Are you trying to reach a goal that feels like... Read More

Top 15 Goals Quotations

Examine your own personal goals and find methods to achieve... Read More

Whats the Next Action Step?

Nothing gets done unless an action is completed. Everything we... Read More

The Magic of Writing Goals in your life!

Goal setting is an important technique used by athletes, successful... Read More

Goal Setting ? The Importance of Stern Resolve!

"Every man should be born again on the first day... Read More

Share Your True Colors

Don't you just love the leaves changing colors in the... Read More

Finding Your Inner Flame: Finding Passion Series - 3 of 3

Why is it that some goals have a fire and... Read More

How To Find Lasting Goals

If you, just by coincidence, read my short article about... Read More

Giving Up Too Soon

So you feel beaten up and bruised and you're ready... Read More

Personal Development - The Plan

(excerpted from the Jim Rohn One-Year Success Plan - Week... Read More

Manage Your Expectations ... And Raise The Bar On Your Quality Of Life!

When I was a newbie in 'the game of life,'... Read More

I Need to Accomplish Something

Do you have trouble taking a day off? Boy, I... Read More

Manifesting Your Dreams and Desires

What are your dreams?Are you in a place in your... Read More

The Importance of Aligning Your Personal Goals With Your Business Goals: Part 3 of a Series

Would you like to be sure that your personal goals... Read More

The Influence of People Who Surround You

It is known that the human body sends out vibrations:... Read More