How to Follow Through
on Business Resolutions
Author: Liz Bywater, PhD
Date: January 04, 2007
For most of us, the start of a new year is a time of reflection. A review of the year gone by and an opportunity to set goals for the year ahead. Intentions are good and motivation is high.
The challenge lies in the predictable loss of steam that ensues as we move past the holiday season and back into our workaday lives.
Make no mistake. Setting goals is easy. Following through is the hard part. To assist you in seeing those New Year's goals and resolutions come to life, we present you with the following strategies for implementation:
1) Review your goals. Keep the important ones. Discard the ones that don't make sense.
2) Prioritize. Decide what requires immediate action, what belongs in the mid-term, and what can be deferred to a much later date.
3) Organize. Figure how to best approach the daily, weekly, monthly, and annual tasks entailed in meeting your goals and resolutions for the year. Put a system in place for efficiently attending to each of these tasks.
4) Enlist help. Don't try to tackle it all yourself. Delegate where feasible. Outsource where appropriate.
5) Share the news. Tell someone about your goals and your strategies for reaching them.
6) Create accountability. Set up a system for reporting your progress to someone who's invested in your growth. This can be a business partner, a boss, a peer, or a spouse.
7) Celebrate your successes. When you've made progress toward a goal, recognize it. Take pride. Use it as incentive to keep moving forward.
8) Get feedback. Ask others how they see you and your progress. Use their input to build upon your strengths and neutralize your weaknesses.
9) Don't obsess. Plan, prepare, and then execute. Don't get caught up in over-analyzing or striving for perfection.
10) Give yourself a break. Remember to take time to relax and refresh yourself. Don't run yourself so ragged that you lose focus, stamina, and creativity. They're vital if you are to reach your goals and see your New Year's resolutions come to life.
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