My relationship with setting and measuring goals has evolved over the years.
I have always been a goal setter, but after reading “Atomic Habits” by James Clear in 2018, I began an earnest effort to wean myself off goal setting and start thinking more about changing my habits. On a personal level, this has worked wonders. But goals are still important.
There are three things in particular that I have discovered about methods for setting and measuring goals that can benefit you. The method you adopt to keep yourself honest (isn’t that the whole point of goals?) is essential for maintaining goal setting and measuring. If you don’t have a working system, goal setting and measuring will be complicated.
One effective strategy I’ve found is to enlist an accountability partner. An accountability partner could be a mentor, friend, or family member who can provide support and guidance throughout the goal-setting process.
Nothing is better than to put your goals on paper and show them to someone. Once they are on paper and published to the world, it makes it harder for you to discard them.
The second thing I like to do regarding goal setting and measuring is to think more about changing habits, as James Clear espouses. It’s a mix-up of SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, & Time-Bound) and identifying habits holding you back that you want to change. I pick a habit that I’m not good at, for instance, maintaining a system of continuous client outreach, and work that into my goal setting with the SMART framework:
“I know that I stay in my silo too much (bad habit), so this year, I will reach out to five clients per week via email and keep track of those efforts on a spreadsheet and update the results quarterly (SMART goal).”
Ask me how I did on that one during the first quarter of this year… 🙁
The last thing I’ve done to set and measure goals has worked the best for me.
In the previous three years, I started creating business-sized cards with space on the front to write ‘Three Words to Live By’ as a year-long focus and sharing them with an accountability partner who checks in on me occasionally to see how it’s going. The inspiration comes from a book by Sudon Daigle that I discovered through reading Brene Brown’s book, ‘The Gifts of Imperfection.’ ‘Three Words to Live By’ is a concept where you choose three words that encapsulate your goals and values for the year and use them to guide your actions and decisions.
The ‘Three Words to Live By’ method is my preferred way to set and measure goals. Its simplicity and focus on what truly matters provide a sense of freedom and creativity. Like being limited to three ink colors in a design, these goals are easier to measure and apply daily.
What three words are you living by this year? Cheers!
