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Goal setting is a common practice for entrepreneurs and small business owners like yourself. At the beginning of a new year, we typically feel inspired to be better, to do better. Let’s face it, it is a great time to create goals and ideals for the next twelve months.

Effective goals are those that are able to be accomplished, don’t cause too much stress or strain, and create a feeling of accomplishment. Read along for some actionable tips to set effective goals for an improved year.

Here are 5 tips to help you set achievable goals for the coming year:

Be Specific

The best goals are specific and measurable. For example, “grow my business” is a nice goal, but it’s not very specific or strong. Lay out your ideal job when creating your goal, as this allows you to see it in action more clearly.

Another example would be, “I want to earn more money.” Again, a great goal, but can you assign a specific amount?  The more measurable the goal, the more concrete steps you can take to achieve it.

Be Realistic

Although setting lofty goals is admirable, it’s important that they’re also obtainable. If you hope to get a new client in one week, but you don’t have a plan on how you will do that, it’s not likely to happen.  Although it can be done, goals are more likely to be achieved when the timing makes sense.

Give yourself a push with the goal, but don’t stress yourself out either! Becoming too focused on a goal can cause burnout – do your best but skip the rigid thinking.

Consult the Past

What worked in the past? Maybe you’ll notice that a specific type of goal keeps popping up, or that one goal is always on your list, but never gets done. Consulting your past goals can help you see what works for the future, and what’s likely to get done and propel you forward in the year to come.

Check in Often

Checking in on a daily, weekly and monthly basis keeps the goals fresh in your mind. We tend to create goals at the beginning of a new year and stop thinking about them by the end of the month! Put them in your calendar, on your “to do” list, and every other place that you consult frequently.

Seeing and spending time thinking of your goals keeps them top of mind, which is the first step to successfully achieving them.

Do Something Everyday

Be sure you’re doing something every day that moves you closer to your goals. You’ll be checking in weekly on an official basis, but a daily reminder is even better. Work from a daily, weekly, monthly goal sheet such as the one we’ve created for you. Or create a vision board where you can see your goals visually, or simply work from a positive mindset when working towards career goals.

Setting and achieving goals is a challenging process, but one that is truly important to our personal and professional growth. Follow the steps above when creating your goals for this upcoming year, and you’ll be well on your way to new and exciting things this year!

If your goal is to find your next great hire or to find a great remote job, let us help! You can find great candidates right here on HireMyMom as well as great work from home jobs posted by small businesses and entrepreneurs across the country.

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