Several years ago a read an article which said that people who write down their personal and professional goals and refer to the list on a regular basis are more likely to achieve their goals than people who don’t do so. After reading that article, I tried it. I made a list of 5 personal and professional goals one January and I taped the list to my bathroom mirror. I saw that list every morning. I achieved 4 of the 5 goals by the end of the year. And I made progress toward the fifth goal. I started doing that annually and every year I achieved the goals I set for myself. In 2006 I didn’t make a list of goals and I have to say that must have made a mistake in not listing my goals because I don’t feel like I accomplished enough last year.

So, now I am in the process of putting together a list of goals that I plan to achieve this year. I think of goals as New Years resolutions in the form of measurable steps that I can work toward. Resolutions shouldn’t be a “wish list” of things we want to do but may or may not achieve because not achieving our goals and can be discouraging and depressing. Create your New Years resolutions as a list of goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, and trackable.

For example, one year I set a goal to save $10,000 in a year. That was easy to track and measure during the course of the year. I divided 10,000 by 12 months and realized that I would need to save $834 per month. I bought Quicken and tracked my spending, created a budget, cut spending, and achieved my savings goal.

I know a lot of people who make New Years Resolutions to “lose weight”, “spend more time with my spouse” ,”get a promotion at work”, or “get a new job”. I think if you are serious about achieving goals its a good idea to track your progress toward the goal. To do that it is helpful if you can make your goals specific. So, instead of resolving to “lose weight in 2007″ you might, instead, set a goal of losing 20 pounds in 2007. You can divide the 20 pounds by 52 weeks and adjust your calorie intake or workouts accordingly. I think its much easier to keep yourself on track that way. And, you can reward yourself for your small wins along the way to achieving the larger goal.

If your goal is to “get a promotion” you might break the larger goal into smaller tasks based upon the steps you need to take to achieve the larger goal. For example, you may need to pass a certification test or take on more responsibility at work in order to be considered for the promotion you desire. If that is the case, set several goals that will lead you to the desired end result of the promotion.

I find it helpful to set goals that encompass both my personal life and my professional life because neither is independent of the other. If, for example, one of your goals is to “spend more time with my spouse”, you might consider setting a specific amount of additional time you want to spend with your spouse. Or you might think about what activities you envision your spouse and yourself participating in together and set those as goals. For example, you could set a goal to “go to dinner and a movie with my spouse once each weekend.” That is easy to conceptualize, to track, and to achieve.

For those of you who plan to find a new job in 2007 you should break down the job search process into steps and set a date by which you plan to complete each step. In an earlier post I created a list of 10 New Years resolutions for serious job seekers. Those could be helpful as you think about what you will need to do to find a new job in 2007.

Make sure that you stay focused and don’t get discouraged if you don’t meet all of your goals on time. The process of creating a your list of goals, setting milestones, and referring to it frequently will help you to accomplish more than if you hadn’t take the time to articulate your goals at all. Try it. It really works.

Happy New Year!

Liz Handlin, Ultimate Resumes LLC, © copyright 2007

http://ultimate-resumes.blogspot.com/

This CollegeRecruiter.com Blogswap article is courtesy of Recruiting.com at http://www.Recruiting.com and CollegeRecruiter.com at http://www.CollegeRecruiter.com , a leading site for college students and recent graduates who are searching for internships and entry level jobs.

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