How to set ourselves up for success

Have you ever set yourself an ambitious goal for a far off date in the future? Have you been flustered and anxious as the deadline for the goal approaches? If so, have you felt like a failure or been unable to achieve what you set out to? We all have at one point in our life.

This doesn’t have to be the norm. There are numerous ways in which you can aim for a challenging goal and actually achieve it. I am by no means an expert on this. I have failed before. These failures, however, had led me to learn and refine the process the next time around. If working in engineering has taught me anything, it is that life is a constant feedback loop. You refine the process to achieve the desired outcome.

Make A Project Plan

Gantt charts are often used to show the progress of projects. I first used them at university and if I’m honest, I didn’t take them too seriously. It was more of a tick box exercise to show we had some sort of plan. They can be used for every work project you have and can also be applied to your personal life. If, like me, you’d like something more informal, using the principles behind them is still beneficial.

For example, say my goal was to lose 10 lbs for an upcoming holiday. I would log 10 weeks back from the date I go away and start dieting then. I would break down the 10lbs into more manageable 1 lb chunks. I would aim to lose 1 lb per week. This would give a good indicator of my progress as the weeks go on. I know this approach will work as it's a tried and tested method.

The Gantt chart works in a similar way. Each box represents a defined timeframe and marks the progress of the task assigned to be completed in the designated time. Some tasks often overlap which allows you to flow from one seamlessly into the next.

The main takeaway here is to break down bigger goals into smaller, manageable ones you can track on a shorter time scale. As the saying goes:

Take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves — Proverb

Take Action

This one is simple. What is the smallest action you could take right now that would help achieve your goals? If this task takes less than 2 minutes then definitely go and get it done. This could mean drafting a cold email or writing a couple of hundred words for a new blog post. Do it. Make the barrier to entry as low for yourself as you can.

The key here is not to overthink. Keep it simple to get you started.

If you're working as part of a team, it is often useful to assign actions to team members who will be able to carry them out and provide valuable results.

Phone A Friend

Find someone to keep you accountable for what you do. This could be a partner, friend or colleague. If it's health and fitness related, it could be a coach. When you feel like the wheels are about to come off, your accountability buddy can step in and remind you why you’re doing this. Don't be scared to open up to them. They will be to help you when you need it.

This can be useful when you feel you’ve reached a plateau. Words of encouragement from someone close might be the difference between you going for that promotion or staying on track with your fitness.

You might even be accountable for each other in some cases. Think of people who work out, run or walk together. They’re working together to achieve their goals whether that be shared or individual. The captain in a team sport is there to motivate their teammates where they’re not on their game.

Systems > Goals

Goals can be hard to achieve. When we do reach them we often don't continue with the positive habits we've created to get there. When we create the right systems and mindset we push on past what we previously thought possible. Make it harder for yourself NOT to do a task you know you should be doing.

Systems account for days when motivation is low. It brings out the drive you have to get to where you want to be.

We often view goals as a one-stop-shop. Once we're in and get what we need we're out and that's it done. If we, however, put the right systems and tools in place we can consistently achieve and perform at our best. What other ways are there to make our goals more achievable?

Enjoyed this?  You can sign up for my weekly newsletter here. Thanks for reading.

Don't forget to connect with me on Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.