Goals are destinations and their time frames are stepping stones. Goals can be short- or long-term, and may involve personal dreams, financial security, educational objectives or career aspirations. For many, identifying a goal is the easiest step, while the hardest steps involve taking the action required to realize the goal. Time frames remove some of the difficulty factor and also help ensure you reach your ultimate goal.
Step 1
Motivate yourself. Achieving goals, especially long-term goals, requires more than casual interest. Go somewhere quiet and really think about this goal. Create a mental picture of realizing the goal.
Step 2
Write the name of the goal at the top of a blank sheet of paper. Write a short description of its importance and the impact it will have on your life. It may help to place a picture or two under the description as a visual reminder of what you are working toward.
Step 3
Pick a tentative end date. While you may need to adjust this date later, the important point right now is for the goal to have finality. Open-ended goals invite procrastination. For example, if your five-year goal is home ownership, pick a day five years from now and write this date under a picture of a house you've added to your paper.
Step 4
Get information. Find out everything you can about the process you must follow to achieve your goal. In the case of home ownership, get information relating to credit scores and down payment amounts. For an educational degree, get information on costs, required classes and admissions requirements.
Step 5
Break your big picture into smaller steps. Look for natural stepping stone goals within the bigger picture. For example, if the appropriate credit score to qualify for a mortgage is 700 and your current score is 500, raising your credit score is a stepping stone goal. If you determine that $20,000 is the amount you need for a down payment, saving this amount is a stepping stone goal. Prioritize your stepping stone goals. List them in order of importance under your tentative goal completion date. Give each stepping stone its own realistic completion date.
Step 6
Break each stepping stone goal into its own set of steps. Analyze the things you need to do to raise your credit score, such as paying off credit cards or an auto loan. Determine how much you need to save each month to reach your target savings goal. Go through the same process of adding each step to your list, along with a realistic completion date.
Step 7
Make a planning calendar. Now you know what you must accomplish to achieve your goal. Monitor your progress by transferring the information to a planning calendar. Circle stepping stone completion dates as "red letter days," and check off every payment you make to a credit card company and every deposit you make to your savings account.
Tips and Warnings
- Consider your personal situation when creating time frames for goal setting. Be realistic about what you can accomplish in any given time frame so you do not set yourself up for failure.
Things You'll Need
- Calendar
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