There are many ways to be successful when it comes to setting and achieving your goals. But some tools can make the whole process a whole lot easier and much more fun. There are three particular tools for goal setting that have really made a difference in my success.
Write it down
I think writing down your goals is probably one of the most well-known goal-setting tools. There are a lot of different statistics out there about it. But you are about 40% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down. So if you only do one thing towards your goal, write it down and you’re almost halfway there!
Writing down your goals helps you to get a little bit clearer about what you want to achieve. And having it on display somewhere, help motivate you to keep working towards it.
I’ve taken my written down goals that one step further. I’ve made a background for my phone and my desktop so I get that reminder every time I pick up my phone or sit at my desk. I also keep a notebook on my desk open to current pages that display my goals.
Accountability partner
I cannot tell you how much having an accountability partner has really helped me make progress towards my goals. And it turns out there is a personality type that needs outer accountability to get the best results. Can you guess which type I fall into?
And before you say that you’re partner is your accountability partner, that doesn’t usually work. We often see our partner as an extension of ourselves. And since we are ok with letting ourselves down most of the time, we feel ok about letting our partner down too.
And it’s good to know that your accountability partner doesn’t need to have the same goals as you. If you are anything like me, you’ll get competitive. And that doesn’t really help anyone.
Traits of a good accountability partner:
- They are not afraid to call your bluff
- They will tell you when you’re falling behind
- They are proud to see you achieve your goals
- Has the time to commit to being an accountability partner
- They also have their own goals
The Life Map
The Life Map is a goal-setting planner that uses the principles of goal setting framework, The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran. It makes you really think about what is and isn’t important to you. So before you can even get into setting any goals there are a whole bunch of activities that will help you determine the kind of year that you want to have. My favourite activity is to consider the worst year ever. This really put things into perspective for me. Even though this year has turned out to be nothing like anyone ever expected.
I think the main reason The Life Map works so well is that it combines writing down your goals, having someone keep you accountable and breaking them down into smaller actionable steps.
So get yourself some of these goal setting tools to make sure your goals become a reality.