Mid- to Longterm Goals: How to Set Them, Keep Track etc.?

[Shane]

Hi everyone,

I need some help with goal-setting. I have been doing some experimenting with short-term goal-setting and that's been working really well for me. I can make good, useful task-lists for the day and work through them without wasting too much time micro-managing.

All these goals are just tasks, though. Something I can do within minutes or perhaps a couple of hours and then move to the next thing.

I don't know how to deal with mid- to longterm goals, however. So here's my questions to you all:

- How do you set long-term goals? Where do you "put" them?
- How do you keep track of your progress towards these goals?
- How do you make sure you don't lose sight of them?

Any other dos and don'ts to share from your experience?

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

Cheers,
Shane

[Rob Ozanne]

Hi Shane,

It sounds like you are being fantastically proactive. For longer-term goals this is my approach:

Originally Posted by Shane

- How do you set long-term goals? Where do you "put" them?

Decide on a timeframe, then for whichever area of life you are concerned with get creative about where you would like to be when that time arrives. Keep fine tuning until you have a goal that really inspires you as an expression of who you are.

Then work backwards from there. So if you want to run a marathon on 21st April, what are the key milestones you need to accomplish to get there and by when, eg 20 mile run in April, 15 mile run in Feb, 10 mile run in Jan etc.

Then break each mid-goal into your short terms goals/routines/to do lists.

- How do you keep track of your progress towards these goals?

By breaking the long-term goals into mid-term goals and the mid-term goals into short-term goals and ticking them off your to-do list.

- How do you make sure you don't lose sight of them?

Write them down and place them somewhere, where you will see them everyday. Build in accountability, you could work with a coach or get support from the people you know to 'keep you honest' about the things you say you will do.

Hope that is useful,

Rob

[Shane]

Hey Rob,

Thanks a lot for your reply. Looks like a very useful and actionable plan.

I'll give this method of goal-setting a try tomorrow and see what I can come up with.

Thanks again,
Shane

[Shane]

Just a quick update, in case anyone is interested: I started formulating my goals as suggested in the posts above. It took a bit of a turn though and I ended up making a list of all the problems and annoyances or ineffectivites that are currently holding me back or just causing unnecessary concern in my life. I translated this list into a list of things that need to be done or need to be eliminated and I can break these things into smaller tasks if needed.