1. Goal Setting: Strategic Planning
Five Rules
to Set Yourself Up for Success

2. Starting the Process
Have you thought about what you want to be doing in five years’ time? Are you clear about what your main objective at work is at the moment? Do you know what you want to have achieved by the end of today?

3. Goal-setting
If you want to succeed, you need to set goals. Without them, you lack focus and direction.
Goal-setting not only allows you to take control of your life’s direction; it also provides you a benchmark for determining whether you are actually succeeding.

4. Goal Setting
Goal-setting is a process that starts with careful consideration of what you want to achieve, and ends with a lot of hard work to actually do it. In between there are some very well-defined steps for each goal. Knowing these steps will allow you to set goals that you can accomplish.

5. The Five Golden Rules #1
Set goals that motivate you.
It is important that goals mean something to you and there is value in achieving them. If you have little interest in the outcome then the chances of you putting in the work to make them happen are slim.
Set goals that relate to high priorities in your life. You need to feel a sense of urgency and have an “I must do this” attitude. When you don’t have this, you risk putting off what you need to do to make the goal a reality. This in turn leaves you feeling disappointed and frustrated.

6. Short-term Goals
What do you want or hope to achieve within the next three months?
This is a short-term goal.
Take a few days off to spend with family before classes begin.
Pay first semester tuition and fees and buy books.

7. Medium-term Goals
What do you want or hope to achieve within the next year?
This is a medium-term goal.
Obtain a work-study job in your chosen area of study.
Start saving money for an emergency fund.

8. Long-term Goals
What do you want or hope to achieve within the next five years?
This is a long-term goal.
Finish college on schedule and find a job in your field.
Save regularly to pay off credit cards.

9. The Five Golden Rules #2 Set SMART goals.
Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely
And the difference is…
I will try to get back to the gym.
I will go to the gym at least three times a week.

10. Set SPECIFIC goals
Your goal must be clear and well-defined. Vague or generalized goals are unhelpful because they don’t provide enough direction.

11. Set MEASURABLE goals
Include precise amounts, dates, and so on in your goals so you can measure your degree of success. Without a way to measure your success you miss out on the celebration that comes with knowing you have actually achieved something.

12. Set ACHIEVABLE goals
Make sure that it’s possible to achieve the goals you set. If you set a goal that you have no hope of achieving, you will set yourself up for failure.

13. Set RELEVANT goals
Goals should be relevant to the direction you want your life and career to take. By keeping goals aligned with this, you’ll develop the focus you need to get ahead and do what you want.

14. Set TIMELY goals
Your goals must have a deadline. When you are working on a deadline, your sense of urgency increases and achievement will come that much quicker.

15. SMART Goal Example #1
GOAL: Pay first semester tuition and fees and buy books by September 15.
Make an estimate of how much money you need. Call the college or visit its website and find out how much tuition will be, based on the number of credits you are planning to take and your major.
Find the fee schedules and tally up what you’ll be expected to pay.
For books, call or visit the campus bookstore online for a list of required books for your classes and how much they cost. Search online, maybe you can find the books listed for cheaper elsewhere.

16. SMART Goal Example #2
In this example, the total for tuition, fees, and books at college is $1,500—tuition is $1,100; fees are $190; books are $210. If we continue to break it down, we’ll need to save $500 per month for the next three months, or $125 per week for 12 weeks.

17. The Five Golden Rules #3 Set goals in writing.
The physical act of writing down a goal makes it real and tangible. You have no excuse for forgetting about it. As you write, use the word “will” instead of “would like to” or “might”.

18. Golden Rule #3 . . . continued
Frame your goal statement positively. If you want to improve your retention rates say, “I will hold on to all existing employees for the next quarter” rather than “I will reduce employee turnover.”
Post your goals in visible places to remind yourself everyday of what it is you intend to do. Put them on your walls, desk, computer monitor, bathroom mirror, or refrigerator as a constant reminder.

19. What are your goals? Jot some down.
Short-term goals
Medium-term goals
Long-term goals

20. The Five Golden Rules #4 Make an Action Plan
This step is often missed in the process of goal setting. You get so focused on the outcome that you forget to plan all of the steps that are needed along the way. By writing out the individual steps, and then crossing each one off as you complete it, you’ll realize that you are making progress towards your ultimate goal.

21. Worksheet: Making SMART Goals
My Goal
Actions to Take
Tools, Training, or Expertise Needed
Total Amount of Money I Need to Reach the Goal
When Do I Need the Money?
How Much Money Do I Need to Save Each Month?
How Much Do I Need to Save Each Week?
Where Will I Get the Money?
This worksheet deals with saving money, but you can modify it for goals that don’t involve money.

22. The Five Golden Rules #5 Stick with it!
Remember, goal setting is an ongoing activity not just a means to an end. Build in reminders to keep yourself on track, and make regular time-slots available to review your goals. Your end destination may remain quite similar over the long term, but the action plan you set for yourself along the way can change significantly. Make sure the relevance, value, and necessity remain high.

23. Goal Setting Worksheet
My Goal
Due Date
Actions to Take
Tools, Training, or Expertise Needed 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Plan out two of the goals you wrote down earlier.

24. Remember . . .
Goal setting is much more than simply saying you want something to happen. Unless you clearly define exactly what you want and understand why you want it the first place, your odds of success are considerably reduced. By following the Five Golden Rules of Goal Setting you can set goals with confidence and enjoy the satisfaction that comes along with knowing you achieved what you set out to do.
So, what will you decide to accomplish today?