What are you aiming for in the New Year?
There's a saying - "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail" - which we've found to be very true at Whitebox. We made a lot of changes in our business - from moving offices to taking on a part-time MD to improving our sales processes. These changes were to help us achieve the goals we set at the start of the year.
The future is far too important to leave to chance, which is why we believe so passionately in goal setting. Having goals gives us a clear sense of direction and a target to work towards. We use a simple, yet powerful, exercise to help us achieve our goals. It starts with writing down our long-term goals and aspirations, both personal and professional.
Here's what we do.
Step 1
Take a big sheet of paper and brainstorm our long-term goals and aspirations. These don't need to be listed in any kind of order or priority. The aim is simply to get them out of your head and on to paper. You may want to complete this exercise over a weekend, crossing off and adding to the list.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Becoming debt free.
Setting up an emergency fund of three months operating expenses to cover for any eventualities.
Paying for a big ticket item such as a holiday, a new car or van or van racking.
Saving for a home deposit or paying down your mortgage.
Building your own home.
Building up a pension pot for later life.
Investing in specialist tools and equipment
Getting your tools organised
Identifying a dream customer you'd like to work for
Step 2
Take a clean sheet of paper and list your goals in order of importance to you.
Step 3
Take your completed list and decide which of these goals are most important to you.
Are there any goals on this list you could achieve relatively quickly? Will achieving some goals make it easier for you to achieve others? For example becoming debt free (or at least having any debts under control) before starting your own business or buying your own home.
Step 4
Write your first three goals on separate sheets of paper, or in an online organiser such as Evernote, one of our favourite apps.
Step 5
For each goal, decide what are the first steps you can take towards make each goal a reality. Remember the saying: "You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." The first step to achieving your goals might start with doing some research or seeking recommendations from within your network.
Step 6:
Set aside 30 minutes each week to review how you're getting on with your goals and plan your next steps.
Congratulations! You're now on your way to achieving your goals.
What are your goals for the New Year? Let us know in the comments.