I wanted to share with you all a little system I have developed myself for keeping myself on track.

Before you roll your eyes at another way to make yourself feel bad for not achieving your goals -  have a think…At the end of the year do you want to feel great about getting all your “stuff” done? Or will you feel bad feeling like you failed ?

All it takes is 3 bullet points!

I am a mum with a young family, artist, business owner, etc etc etc.
It’s hard managing myself and to keep on track to my goals with all the things pulling me multiple ways.   I wanted a system that supported me and was maintainable rather than just made me more work!

Firstly I had to look at what I was doing and what wasn’t working. My focus during the year changes regularly, priorities change during the course of month to month opportunities arise that need to be jumped on. Then projects are completed and then the focus changes and I begin doing things which have now become a priority while I was off doing something else. It’s very easy to lose focus. 

Another factor I have noticed I need to do which I haven’t been doing is regularly  acknowledge what I have achieved and give myself a pat on the back, one thing I know about working in a small business and mostly on my own, no one tells you if you are doing a good job.
It’s sooo important that you  cause its rare that someone does it for you.
Relying on myself to “remember” these things is impossible.  If you create a system to allow me to do this then this is also a positive payoff for all my hard work.

So my little system allows me to Review what i have achieved, Outline the focus for the next month and most importantly Set a goal to have completed by the end of this Month.

So here is what i do…

I start with a word document at top with Month Goals in big letters at the top.

(I print out one for each month at the one time so I can just grab one when needed – you would be surprised at how much just being organised like that supports you in keeping on track if you are time poor).

On the page I have 3 bullet points they are the same each month with lots of space in between to write under each one.  (I purposely keep these in words like I am having a conversation with myself, and meaning that I can just write my answers means I don’t get put off by having to find files and open them up print etc.).

The points are:

1. How did you go last month?

2. What is the focus for this month for business & direction?

3. What do you need to have achieved at the end of this month?

That’s it! Its not THAT hard is it?

After I do that i pin it to my cork board next to my desk where I can see it. Periodically I will look at it during the month (without realising it) and remember what my goal is for the month, I have caught myself out a couple of times working on something that was taking up time that wasn’t on my list.

Then at the end of the month I replace it with the new one. I have also started to stick the next months sheet in my diary on the first day of the month so I remember to do it and if there is a task that I need not to focus on right now but I know needs to be done in a certain month, I will go ahead and write it on that months sheet so that when I get to it, I am reminded.

I file all of my “monthly goals” sheet in a file, that way at the end of the year I can do a review and I won’t have to think back on what I have achieved for the year – I have it there for me!

I have found this works for business / work as well as my personal goals and my art. For my art it can be about finishing a particular artwork or getting my website up to scratch.

Please leave a comment: Have  a different take on it? Let me know.