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What Can You Achieve in 2020?

2020 has arrived, a Happy New Year to you all. What can you achieve in 2020?

Moving from December 31st to January 1st is just a turn of a page on the calendar. But the New Year brings a special energy. There is a feeling of opportunity and change. It is a great time to set some personal or business resolutions.

Turning those resolutions into real change can be hard. A resolution without a plan is really just a wish. So here are some goal setting tips to help you turn your resolutions and wishes into real changes in 2020.

You Can Be Productive in 2020

Here are our 5 tips for great goal setting: 1) Remove The Vague, 2) Start Small, 3) Identify What You Need, 4) Be Accountable, 5) Track Your Progress

1) Remove the Vague

To make real change it is important to be clear about what you want to do. If your resolution is too vague it will be easier to procrastinate as time goes by. Here are some examples:

  • For a Business Goal:

Instead of saying “Increase use of Social Media in 2020” try “By end of January establish presence on Twitter and LinkedIn, posting daily on Twitter and 3 times a week on LinkedIn”.

  • For a Personal Goal:

Instead of saying “Get Fit in 2020” try “Get fit enough to complete a 5 km race by end of April 2020”.

In those statements you have added:

  1. A clear action
  2. A timeline
  3. A target to achieve

2) Start Small

A lot of resolutions fail because too much work is required to achieve them. A smaller goal is easier to start. One you achieve it you will feel productive and motivated to set the next small goal and work on that.

For a Business Goal:

Instead of saying “Focus on development of new services in 2020” try “Each week in January schedule 1 hour on Friday afternoon to research and brainstorm new business service ideas”.

Then add “In February meet business peers or experts to get advice on how to implement new ideas”.

Now you have small manageable steps to get the work on your goal started.

3) Identify What You Need

Making changes can be hard and when motivation dips we often find reasons not to do things. When your enthusiasm is high at the start of the year, this is the time to anticipate what you need to stick to your resolution. Buy the equipment, join the business network, purchase the software. Remove the obstacles so you can maintain momentum.

For the Personal Fitness Goal, download a running app or buy new running shoes.

4) Be Accountable

Sometimes an additional pressure is helpful to stay on track. Making yourself accountable to others is a way to do this.

  • For the business goal:

Make a commitment to your customers or social media followers to provide them with an update on a regular basis.

  • For the personal goal:

Introduce a commitment by: 1) buddying up with someone on your fitness journey or 2) join a running club.

A Financial Commitment can be a great motivator too. By paying to joining a new business network you will be more motivated to attend meetings. By registering for a 5km race you will be less likely to drop out.

5) Track Your Progress

A tracker is a great way to stay on track. Build an action list and add some target dates. A simple Word table or an Excel spreadsheet will help you track your progress versus your plan.

You can also download Be Productive Goal Planner here.

You Can Be Productive in 2020

Best wishes for a productive 2020. If you would like to schedule a New Year Goal Setting Workshop for your team or general Productivity Training, Coaching or Seminars please contact me, Moira, here.

Be Productive and Manage Your Time

Getting things done is one of the best ways to remove stress from your work life. Stop procrastinating and watch your performance and enjoyment soar.

Check our Articles section for other productivity and time management tips on Managing Email, Reducing Stress and Saying No

First published in Dec 2019 on https://www.thinkbusiness.ie/articles/what-can-you-achieve-in-2020/

Photo by Alexa Williams on Unsplash

Moira Dunne

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