How do you know you’re making progress on your life goals? Most life goals are either project type goals or habit type goals. It doesn’t matter if those goals are related to your relationships, your career, your wealth, health or your own personal development, they will fall into one of these categories. Both types of goals require a series of action step, sometimes occurring simultaneously to be achieved. And you need to have some way of knowing your making progress through all those action steps, right?
Some people have a to do list to check things off. There’s a certain sense of gratification from crossing something off the list. We love making progress. Some of us have even been known to put something on the list that we’ve already done just to be able to cross it off and have that feeling like we’ve accomplished more. I confess. I’ve done that more than once.
Here are a 5 more tips to keep you on track to achieving all your hopes & wishes:
- Make your evidence visual – what do you look at weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly to track your progress? Are you actually reviewing your progress? If you don’t have milestones for your goals, how can you celebrate your progress and know that your on track? Make sure you’re reviewing your progress regularly. I just did a mid-year review with my Mastermind Group. It was very satisfying crossing some things off the list that I had written down at the beginning of the year and had actually forgotten about. My unconscious mind remembered though because they were stepping stones to where I needed to be.
Another example is having the most important information in your line of sight every day. Years ago a sales coach had suggested I create folders in my inbox to track leads for my NLP Practitioner Certification Course as well as my coaching services. It didn’t work! My leads are EXTREMELY valuable to me. I wanted them in my face all the time so I purchased a giant whiteboard and track all of my hot leads on that board. I look at that board 100 times a day. These people are on my mind constantly. And for me, that’s where they should be.
2. X on calendar for progressive and continuous goals – if you have a habit type of goal (like losing weight, exercising consistently, or developing yourself in some way), track your progress for continuous goals or progressive goals on a calendar with large red Xs. If you continuously worked out for a week, you should see 7 large Xs on your calendar. The brain doesn’t like to break the pattern so it will keep going. The thought of a missing X is something our minds don’t like. Again, it likes signs of progress so give it what it wants. If it’s a progressive goal (like increasing reps or weight at the gym), then write down the increasing numbers. Again, the brain loves this reminder that there’s a bigger plan.
3. Schedule stuff on your calendar – don’t leave things to chance! Schedule appointments with yourself in your calendar and keep them sacred like a meeting with your boss or a client. Most of us are lousy at keeping promises to ourselves. Stop it! You’re important too! Make yourself count and you’ll count your progress faster!
4. Know how long it takes to do stuff – this is the one I struggle with most often. I schedule developing a new course or revamping an old one and shortchange myself every time. Know how long it takes to do stuff! Track your hours, recorded your routines and make sure you give yourself enough time to get stuff done. I hate it when I schedule myself for an hour of exercise when it takes me an hour just to get my cardio done and get a good stretch in. I have no time for weight training or I’m often rushing to get in the shower and get dressed and end up cutting my stretching short. The injury in my right foot is proof of why this is such a bad strategy – 6 months of rehab and I still can’t run!
5. Prioritise – as if I really need to say it. Ask yourself honestly though if you really do it. It’s too important for us to ignore. If you don’t focus on the stuff that really matters the stuff that really matters won’t focus on you. I’m right, don’t you think?
What’s the evidence you use to track your progress?
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