For many people there is a disconnect between setting a goal in January and actually seeing it through to December. Recruiters and entrepreneurs tend to have big appetites and want to push themselves to excel. Aiming high is a good thing but often these goals start to lose their luster as the year wears on. And, once they start to seem unrealistic, many people become discouraged, giving up on them altogether.
One of the reasons for this is we often set too many goals. Most of us only have the bandwidth to focus, really focus, on a small set of objectives. What would it be like if you only had one goal for the next twelve months?
I witnessed the power of fewer goals in my accountability group one year. I have two partners in my group, Ron and Tom (not their real names). Tom set a lot of goals, around 10 if I remember correctly. Ron on the other hand set just two goals. Ron was focused like a laser all year, and the two goals he picked were very meaty and would make a big impact if achieved. In the end (as you can probably guess) Ron achieved 100% of his goals while Tom only achieved around 40% of his.
If you have trouble staying focused and motivated, try shrinking the number of goals you have. Ask yourself, “What one goal, if achieved, would mean that my entire year was a success?” See if you can set just one goal for the next 12 months and if that’s not possible, set a maximum of three and see what the extra clarity does for your productivity and sense of calm.
