Last week, we talked about goal setting and went through the process of creating goals to reach in 2020. In the process of assessing your progress to reaching your 2019 goals, you may have realized you went off-track at points throughout the year. As a result, you may not have reached the goals you set this year. 

When you’re thisclose to reaching your goals

Rewind to last January and you were likely super motivated to reach your goals. Then, life happened and for whatever reason, you fell off track and were unable to reach your goals within the timeframe you had expected or at all, in some cases. Often, you may not even realize you’ve drifted off track until you look at your numbers later in the year and see that you’re not going to reach the goal you’ve set. 

As a result, you may feel frustrated and maybe even angry at yourself and your circumstances. It may put you off to creating goals going forward or it may cause you to set the goal again, with the intention of reaching it once and for all. Both are totally normal reactions. At the extremes, normal human reactions seem to be “forget it. I’m never doing that again” or “I’ll try again and do it even better this time.”

Regardless of your reaction, it’s important to understand that although you failed to reach your goal, you’re not a failure yourself. Don’t take it personally. Instead, use it as an opportunity to recalibrate and consider what you can do going forward to make it easier to reach the goals you’ve set.

5 steps for goal recalibration

Follow these five steps to recalibrate your approach to goals this year. 

Review your goals

Take a look at the goals you set for 2019 and read them over. If you included milestones and specific numbers to reach, take note of those, too. Place a star next to or circle the goals that you fell short of reaching. Then, ask yourself the following questions:

• Were you close to achieving your goal? Were you super close to reaching your goal or were you miles off? You’ll approach the goal differently the next time around based on your response.
• Why did you fall short? Did something happen to cause you to veer off course? Or, did you slowly lose motivation over the course of the year and found yourself drifting further away from your target? Sometimes outside forces cause us to shift focus away from our goals and it’s tough to get back on track. 
• Could you have done something differently? If so, what would it be? Sometimes, there’s nothing you can do. For example, if you set a goal to run a marathon by August, but you broke your leg skiing in March, it’s going to be ridiculously challenging to reach your goal this year. There’s nothing you could have done differently and it may just be a matter of setting the goal again in 2020.  

Assess what happened

Once you’ve answered these questions, you can put on your detective hat and assess what happened. Perhaps there was a personal or family emergency midyear that forced you to shift your focus away from your goal for a few weeks or months. Although you may have tried hard to get back on track, it’s often super challenging to get back to where you were. As a result, you may have missed your goal.

Sometimes, the reason for falling off-track has to do with motivation. It’s nearly impossible to maintain the same level of motivation that you had in January in July. Over time, it wears off until you’ve forgotten why you were so motivated in the first place. Zig Ziglar said, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” We recommend reviewing your goals regularly – that way, they stay top of mind and you can remember what you’re shooting for. Also, reconnect with your Why at the same time to give you the surge of motivation you need to continue on the path to reaching your goal. 

Brainstorm new approaches

Regardless of the reason for falling off course, it’ll be difficult to get back on track to achieving the goal in 2020 using the same approach as you did before. 

If you fell off track due to an outside influence (e.g., a personal or family emergency): 

You can’t predict the future; however, you can insulate your business so that if another emergency arises, you’ll be less likely to fall off track again. Often, when emergencies arise, we take our focus off of our goals. As a result, the goals fall to the wayside, and while we may try to pick up where we left off, we find ourselves trying to catch up to where we were hoping to be. This is the point where so many people get frustrated and may give up. 

To protect your goals in these situations, decide to continue to pursue your goals no matter what. It’s about protecting the good, productive habits you’ve created for yourself. Even when life gets hectic, continue to do your Power Hours and work on your business, even if it’s just 30 minutes a day. These little things will keep your habits in place so that it’s so much easier to ramp up production when you’re ready.

If you fell off track due to an internal influence (e.g., lack of motivation, forgetting about your goals):

Once a week, review your goals. It’s that simple. We tend to lose motivation when the thing we’re striving for ceases to be something we think about. It’s like the saying, “Out of sight, out of mind.” So, keep your goals in your sightline and post them where you tend to do your Power Hour. Then, make it a point to review them every week, preferably at the start of the week to keep them at the top of your mind while you work. Not only does this keep your goals top of mind, but it also keeps you motivated.

Also, keep in mind that you may wish to adjust your goal if you decide to pursue it again. Sometimes, the reason we miss our goals is they were unrealistic in the first place. If that’s the case, consider making the goal a long-term or 5-year goal and create annual goals to help you reach it.

Create an action plan

Now that you know why you fell off track, come up with a plan to avoid it in the coming year. Whether you’re shooting for the same goal again, or you’ve adjusted it to be more realistic for your skills and circumstances, you need a plan to achieve it. 

Your plan should include:

• Milestones. These are smaller goals to reach that help ensure you’ll achieve the ultimate goal.
• Check-ins. Check-in on your progress regularly (at least once a month, but it could be as often as weekly) so you can make course corrections if you find you’re veering off track again.
• An accountability partner or two. They’ll hold your feet to fire to make sure you stay on track. 

Post your plan where you can see it and review it periodically. 

“Paths do not come to you. You have to find them for yourself, and sometimes, you have to carve new ones entirely.” – Susan Dennard 

Make a date with yourself

Select dates in the calendar to check in with your goals to make sure you stay on track. Set appointments in the calendar on your phone or in Teamzy that will automatically remind you to check in on your progress. This is so important, especially when you begin to lose motivation later in the year. Seeing the appointment reminder pop up will prompt you to reconnect with your goals and ensure you’re on track. Again, these periodic check ins serve to help you correct your course if you find yourself going off-track. 

Teamzy can help ensure you stay on track to achieve your goals

Set your goals in Teamzy and Teamzy will help you stay on track throughout 2020. You’ll see your progress and be able to assess what is working and what isn’t so you can course correct. Whether you’re a goal-setting pro or you space them by midyear, Teamzy can help you achieve more for your business and personal life than you thought possible. Click here to learn more.