How to Write Your List of Goals

Being productive and advancing in life is something everyone strives for. The only way to do this is to make goals to keep yourself focused and remain productive. But some people struggle with actually following through with their goals and end up feeling disappointed.

There are a few ways to make goals that you will achieve. The best way to accomplish everything you want to do is to write up a detailed list of SMART goals. The more specific details you can add to your goals and how you plan to achieve them will help you stay motivated and do it correctly.

The feeling of not completing your goals can be highly discouraging and may make you feel like you are not doing enough. In reality, sometimes, all it takes is trying a different approach that may be more effective and keep you inspired. Today we will be educating you on how to make achievable and realistic goals that you will complete in a timely manner.

We will teach you about SMART goals, show you how to write them, and break down how to achieve your goals. Additionally, we will show you a written example of a list of SMART goals to show you how to do it in the most effective way possible. By the end of this article, you will have all the tools you need to write and accomplish any goal you may have.

What Are SMART Goals?

SMART goals are the key to making goals you can accomplish. SMART is an acronym that represents how each of your goals should be structured to make them reachable. SMART stands for:

• Specific – Making your goals clear and as detailed as possible is vital because it allows you to plan how to achieve your goal and the exact steps you need to take.
• Measurable – You want your goals to be measurable to see your progress which keeps you motivated to complete your other goals.
• Achievable – Making ambitious goals is fine, but you want to ensure they are possible and something you can realistically complete.
• Relevant – You want to make sure your goals will help you achieve something more significant in the long run. This is why it’s essential to make smaller goals relevant to your overall end goal.
• Time-Bound – You must set a deadline for your goals. This ensures you are productive and taking steps to complete your goals instead of constantly putting them off.

When you are creating your goals, you should take the SMART system into account. This system will set you up for success when you make goals because you put more thought into your goals. The more thought you put into your goal, the more you will be motivated to progress further.

Why Is It Important To Set Goals?

Goals are incredibly vital for everyone. Setting and completing goals is how you get to where you want to be in life. Everyone has dreams and aspirations, but if you are going to make them a reality, you need to create goals and take the mandatory steps.

Setting short, medium, and long-term goals has numerous benefits. Some of these benefits include providing you purpose and satisfaction, improves your focus and decision-making skills, and helps you build the future that you want. Setting and completing goals also have been proven to increase motivation and significantly improve mental health.

Why Many People Don’t Complete Their Goals

Multiple factors can contribute to someone failing to complete their goals. These reasons include:

Your Goals Aren’t Specific Or Meaningful

Firstly, someone may not complete their goals if they don’t make specific and meaningful goals. For example, someone’s goal might be ” I am going to lose weight.” That is not a good goal because there are no details on how much weight they want to lose and how they will lose it. A better goal to have would be “I am going to lose 20 lbs. I will achieve this by going to the gym three times a week and eating healthier foods”. The more details you can provide in your goals, the better chance of success you will have. This is why it is best to use the SMART goal system.

You Have Doubts Or Don’t Believe In Yourself

If you don’t believe it, you can’t achieve it! When someone has doubts about the achievability of the goal or doesn’t believe that they can achieve their goal, There is no way they will be able to complete it. You have to believe in yourself and take the proper steps to accomplish your goals. To avoid losing motivation or having doubt creep into your mind, make small, short-term goals that lead up to your big goals. This will help you continue to be inspired and prove to yourself that you can do whatever you set your mind to!

You Are Making Unrealistic Goals

Dreaming big is great; it simply means you know what you want for your life. But you need to start from the bottom and work your way up. For example, you can’t make a goal like “I will buy a house next year” and have no money or plan. If buying a house is your goal, but you don’t have the means to achieve that as quickly as you want, start smaller. Your first goal could be “I am going to start a savings account for a down payment on a house, and I will add $100 a week”. Remember, you have to take the proper steps to make your dreams a reality.

You Aren’t Putting The Work In Or Are Giving Up Too Easily

If you don’t plan to work hard at the foal you set or give up when things aren’t going your way, you shouldn’t be working towards that goal. You can say that you are going to do something, but if it’s not something your passionate about, then chances are you probably won’t put any effort in or will give up way too quickly. Consider what you want to do with your life and set goals to get to that point. You have to set goals for yourself, not for anyone else.

How To Properly Write Your List Of Goals

Now that we have talked about SMART goals, the importance of goals, and what causes someone not to complete their goals, it’s time to make your list of goals.

Step 1: Choose Your Time Frame

Firstly, you will need to pick out your time frame. You could set goals for the next three years, five years, or tens years. Typically, people tend to write goals for the next five years because it gives you time to achieve bigger goal, but it isn’t so far into the future that it is hard to see.

Step 2: Pick Your Biggest Overall Goal

Now you want to consider what it is you want. What is the overall goal you want to achieve by the end of 5 years? There are many big goals that you can achieve in 5 years. Maybe you want to buy a house or start up a business. But it’s essential to think about what you want to happen by the end of your goals to make smaller goals achieve the big goal.

Step 3: Separate Your Goals Into Categories

• To keep everything organized, it is a good idea to break your goals into categories. This could include but isn’t limited to:

• Finance
• Business
• Health & Fitness
• Family
• Home

Step 4: Pick Your Short-Term Goals

Short-term goals are anywhere from a few weeks to about a year. Start by writing your three-month goals, then your six-month goals, then your nine-month goals, and your one-year goals. But remember, while you are writing your short-term goals, consider what your long-term goal is. For example, if your five-year long-term goal is to own a business, your short-term goals could include writing up a detailed business plan, starting a savings account, or even looking at locations. Also, keep the SMART goal system in mind and create specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals.

Step 5: Pick Your Medium-Term Goals

Medium-term goals range from 2-3 years. After you have written your short-term goals, you can start working on your medium-term SMART goals. Let’s use the previous example of your overall goal of starting a business. Some medium-term goals could be purchasing a location, creating your products, and getting the licenses and supplies you will need.

Step 6: Pick Your Long-Term Goals

Long-term goals are five years or more. At this point, you already have your short-term, medium-term, and overall goals. Now it is time to pick up your long-term goals. Your long-term goals could include hiring employees, decorating your location, and planning a grand opening for starting a business.

Step 7: Make Sure You’ve Included Everything

Now that all of your SMART goals are written down, reread them and ensure you have included all the goals and step required to achieve your overall goal. You also want to make sure that everything is very detailed and broken down in a way that makes sense to you and is achievable.

Step 8: Take Action

Once your list of goals is perfected, now it is time to start working on taking action and accomplishing your goals. Follow all of those specific steps that you wrote down and make your goals a reality!

How To Achieve Your Goals

Congratulations! You now have written your list of goals or at least know how to do it. Now comes the hard part, achieving them! You are taking the appropriate measures to achieve your goals by using the SMART goal system, but a few tips will help you complete the goals you set.

Think About The Benefit Of Completing The Goal

Everyone knows how good it feels to accomplish something positive. It gives us a sense of success, productivity, and pride. Picture how you will feel once the goal is completed and imagine how it will help achieve your overall goal.

Keep Track Of Your Progress

Keeping track of your achievements will keep you motivated to keep going and keep completing your goals. It will also keep you on the right path because you will know precisely what you have done and what you still have to do. Focus is a significant key to completing goals of any size.

Celebrate Your Victories

It is important to recognize and celebrate when you are on track and being productive. What’s the point of putting in all this hard work if there is no reward afterward. It doesn’t have to be something over the top of crazy; you could simply celebrate by ordering food from your favorite restaurant or taking the day off to do something you love. Reward yourself! You deserve it!

Have Patience And Perseverance

At times, it’s not always easy to stay on track and complete your goals. It may feel like they are taking too long without seeing any results, do not give up! Have patience and keep persevering! Remind yourself you are working to create a better future. Keep your head up and keep up the hard work; it will pay off!

An Example Of A List Of Goals

If you are still struggling to write your list of goals, then look at this example. This will give you a visual of what your list should look like to make it as effective as possible. This is an example of a one-year list of goals for starting up an online business.

Overall Goal: Start an online women’s clothing store with dresses, pants, shirts, bathing suits, and shoes.

3 Month Goals:

• Write a business plan with all the details of the future clothing store you plan to open. Include details such as:
• Target Audience
• Timeline
• Products
• Budget, Start-Up Costs, And How You Will Be Funding Your Business
• Marketing Strategies
• Website And Social Media
• Packaging
• Launch Date

• Research other online clothing stores to see what people are doing right and wrong. Make notes of features you like and things you want to change.

• Create a name that represents your business well and make a logo for your company.

6 Month Goals

• Start searching for wholesale websites to purchase your products from. Once you have found the website(s) you want to get your products from, make an itemized list of each product you are going to sell that includes
• The name of the product
• The price you are buying it for
• The price you will be selling it for
• Your profit you will make per sale
• The sizes you offer
• The colors you offer

• Make business and thank you cards for your company so you can add them to your packages.

• Start designing your website and making your social media pages. You can make your website with Shopify, and the social media accounts you should make are:
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Tik Tok
• Twitter
• Snapchat
• Pinterest
• Gmail

9 Month Goals

• Buy your products. Start small by buying only 20 of each item in the sizes and colors you offer. You also need to purchase bins or plastic dressers to store your products by item, size, and color.

• Buy your packaging items. This includes:
• A label printer and labels
• Boxes
• Bubble mailers
• Thank you and business cards
• Wrapping tissue paper
• Packing tape

• Set up a Paypal account linked to your website and your debit card to collect the funds from your business.

1 Year Goals

• Add the finishing touched to your website. Have people test the website to make sure it is user-friendly, look for spelling or grammatical errors, and make sure everything looks professional

• Set up ads on Facebook and Google to advertise your business. Use your other social media platforms to market as well.

• Create a promotion for the first 20 customers to get 20% off their order.

• Launch your website on the allotted date.

This is a basic one-year business goal structure. When writing your list of goals, it is recommended you include goals for all aspects of your life and anything you want to achieve. It is reasonable to have a few overall big goals you are working towards as well. AS long as you follow the SMART goal system and use the tips we have provided you, you should have the utmost success in completing your goals. Another great way to ensure you will accomplish your goals is each week to write a to-do list that will help designate your tasks and goals accordingly. This will make it easier to stay organized while being productive at the same time.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, setting goals and completing them doesn’t have to be as hard as some think. Make SMART goals, struct them properly, then put in the work to make them happen. Think of the overall end goal and how it will change your life once you have completed it. Have patience, perseverance, believe in yourself, and surround yourself with people who support your goals and encourage you to continue on the right path.