Why Yearly Goals Don't Work
It's the last week of December and you're thinking about the new year ahead. You're an ambitious person, so you get excited thinking about all you can accomplish in the next 12 months. You set a few big goals and can't wait to start seeing results.
Fast-forward a few weeks and it's the middle of February and you've given up on all of your goals.
What went wrong?
While there are many reasons that we fail at goals, the one I want to focus on today is the timeline on which we set, plan for, act on, and track our goals.
The problem with yearly goals is that it's just too big of a time period for our minds to accurately understand what's doable. And it makes the goals we set far too overwhelming to be achievable.
So what do we do instead?
Set Goals Every 13 Weeks
Answering the question "what can I accomplish in the next 91 days?" is far easier than trying to anticipate what's going to happen in the next 365 days.
Not only that, but imagine if you could have that end-of-December excitement four times every year instead of just once.
When you set goals quarterly, or every 13 weeks, you make it far easier to stay consistent because the end is in sight. You can take a break and reset far more often.
When it gets difficult, you don't have to get discouraged thinking that you have to do this for another 10 or 11 months. Instead, you realize that 10 or 11 weeks isn't that far ahead, and you keep going.
Tips for Setting Quarterly Goals
Challenge yourself. I did 75 Hard a while back and it was amazing but the best part was that it gave me the framework to set my own 12-week challenge. Click here to find out how to do that.
Track your goals daily and weekly throughout the 12 weeks. Use a spreadsheet, journal, app, or just pen and paper to record your progress regularly.
Check in weekly and adjust your goals as needed. In that same spreadsheet, review how your goals are going every week. Make changes to your action steps or desired outcomes if you're having a hard time staying consistent. Sunday is a great day for this.
Take a break the last week of the quarter. Work for 12 weeks, or 84 days, then take a break for the last week and don't set or work on any goals. This is a great time to go on vacation as well!
Wrapping Up
I've stuck with goal-setting for almost two decades now but I wasn't always consistent until I started setting goals quarterly.
Now, I've stuck to setting, planning, acting on, and tracking my goals 12 weeks at a time for the last 3 years straight. And I've accomplished more in these last few years than at any other time in my life.
Get started today by setting up a simple spreadsheet or journal to write down your four goals and set up a tracking system, then set a reminder to review your goals and improve the process once a week.
You'll be amazed at how well you stay motivated all year long, and you'll start to achieve things you never imagined possible.