Do you have a to-do list as long as your arm? Keep putting off those jobs you know you need to do but just can’t really be bothered? Marathon you want to complete? Yep us too.

Let’s face it, we all have changes we want to make and goals we want to accomplish. A recent study showed that a HUGE 92% of people set New Year’s Eve goals however never achieve them. So why do we find it so hard to actually carry out these changes?

Life gets in the way, one off excuse’s turn into an everyday saying and so it’s easy to become complacent and say to yourself that you’ll do it “tomorrow”. So, in this guide we will go over some essential and effective components of how we can make that tomorrow actually happen!

So, what about that 8% that DID achieve their goals? What are they doing that we didn’t?!

1. PUTTING PEN TO PAPER

You are 42% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down. So, with that in mind, start by writing your targets and goals down. Be clear with what your end goal is and what you want to accomplish. Give yourself a realistic timeline- trying to do too much too soon will only leave you stressed and more likely to give up!

2. BE SPECIFIC

Make sure you are specific and clear about what it is you are trying to achieve. Generate more sales? – Set yourself a minimum amount of leads to contact per day. Increase Efficiency? – Set deadlines and timescales for tasks. Being specific and setting smaller goals at first will be more achievable and therefore easier to reach. You can then add to these and push yourself further. Have clear to-do lists, schedules, and time frames that will help you stay on course and hit your targets.

3. SET & USE KPI’S

Setting and Using KPI’s to monitor your progress will be fundamental to reaching your targets and goals. Go back to the SMART method when setting them and evaluate & adjust them regularly. Being able to track where you have made progress and your success rate will valuable knowledge going forward.

4. GET SUPPORT

Very few people get to where they want to be by doing it alone! Do not be scared to ask for help. Having someone to give you a nudge, a gentle reminder or a bit of tough love could be the difference between you pushing on or giving up!

5. UPDATE YOUR CALENDAR AND WORKSPACE

Make sure your workspace is helping you! Keeping it clean, tidy and free from distractions, will help you focus and stay on task. Keeping positive or motivational reminders around you may help, or perhaps previous sales sheets to push you to sell more. Whatever you find that encourages you – use it to spur yourself on!

Utilise your calendar to dedicate certain timeframes to complete certain tasks to work towards your goals. Log when you are most productive and use this time to your advantage. Keep certain times for meetings and phone calls if possible, so as not to distract you later on.

6. THE BIG WHY?

While you’re pushing to achieve your goals always try to remember your why! Why are you doing this? What is your motivation? Whether it’s to simply grow your business, improve customer service or increase your profit margins, always go back to your motivation and this will help push you forward! Make sure you are working with a vision of the future of where you want your business to be!

So, what’s next?

Now you have the fundamental steps in place, you have your targets written down and plan in place- it’s time to put them into action! Remember that big changes will not happen overnight so take it one thing at a time!

Sending out 10 extra emails a day, making 10 more phone calls or making just 1 more sale a day could make a difference and is all contributing to where you want to be!