The importance of setting goals to set yourself up for success in 2024.

The importance of setting goals to set yourself up for success in 2024  

As we head into 2024, now is the time to start creating New Year Resolutions both personally and professionally. January is a period for reflection and to highlight aims for personal growth, such as health or travelling, financial goals, such as saving or investment, and professional goals, such as starting or growing a business.

It can be easy to make a list of what you want to achieve in the coming year, but actually putting these goals into place and accomplishing them is another challenge altogether.

Many of us fall prey to the ‘New Year, New Me’ mentality, without making solid plans as to how to follow through with our goals to make sure they happen in the following months. According to Forbes Advisor, 21% of individuals who set a resolution are likely to give upon them in less than one month, with only 6% of Brits reporting that they have persisted with their goals for nine to 12 months.

We are here to help you become one of the 6% by showcasing the importance of setting goals and providing tools on how to actually achieve your resolutions.

Why is setting goals important?

●     By taking the time to sit down and make a tangible list of goals, this allows you to reflect on what is important to you and sets into your mind a clear purpose.

●      By having a purpose, you are more focused and motivated. In turn, this motivation and focus improves your performance. According to the goal-setting theory, created by Locke & Latham in 1984, it is proven that conscious goals affect action.

●     These goals can be utilised as a guide to make concrete plans for each step and ambition.

●     It also allows you to prioritise your time by assessing how you are working to each timeline milestone, while measuring your progress along the way.

●     Goals can provide a mark for celebrating your successes and giving you that feeling of accomplishment, while also identifying areas that need to be improved and which can be implemented into future goals.

●     Setting goals can also catapult you out of your comfort zone and give you a much-needed push to take the steps needed to attain your targets.

Tools and methods to help you meet your goals:

●     Make a physical copy of your goals that you can track and refer back to, whether that’s writing them in a notebook, a note on your phone, an app, or a spreadsheet.

●     Layout your goals as SMART goals - these are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. You can be as ambitious as you like, but you also have to be able to realistically achieve them to avoid disappointment!

●     Breakdown your goals into smaller steps so you don’t become overwhelmed. As part of your overall aim, create a plan as to how you can move forward to each task and think of the bigger goal as a step-by-step process.

●     Take accountability - share your goals with your friend, team, or online, so that you feel more visibly accountable for completing them and have access to a community for support who knows what you want to accomplish.

●     Reward yourself for your achievements, no matter how small! Small progress is still progress, and celebrating each step you take motivates you to reach the next.

●     Use technology to make things easier - there are so many organisational, task-setting and goal tracking apps available to help you keep track of your plans and progress. Fitness trackers and banking apps can also aid you with health and financial goals.

●     If you are struggling to find motivation for a goal, think about why you want to do this rather than what you need to do. Focus on why you set this goal in the first place, what it means to you and the difference it will make to your life.

With this advice, you are ready to step into 2024 with all the tools needed to elevate your business in the year ahead!