Aric Monts

With 2010 just around the corner, I hope that everyone has taken a moment to ponder what they would like to see happen in 2010.   Whether it is reducing debt, to remodeling the house, to finding a new life partner, setting a few goals and looking toward 2010 with optimism is a strong approach.

What do you want to say about your accomplishments for the year on December 31, 2010?  These are goals both small and large.  Large goals might be “bought a house” or “paid off my credit cards”, where as small goals might be along the lines of running a 10k, cleaning our the garage, or even cooking healthy.

The Goal Hierarchy

When setting goals, start with the big picture.   Decide on two or three life changing events, purchases, changes, etc.  These are the goals that will give you direction in the coming year.

Then, with your big picture goals in mind, break them into smaller goals. You will also add in some smaller accomplishment goals at this level.  Accomplishment goals include travelling, learning to cook, or even cooking at home twice a week for two months.   These smaller goals will be accomplished and replaced with other goals.

Finally, there are short-term goals.  These are daily or weekly goals that build up to the accomplishment goals, that also build up to the big picture goals.  Short term goals might be researching a topic, making phone calls, or even attending networking events.

Try to be as specific as possible! A goal of losing weight is doomed for failure the moment you thought of it.  Instead, lose 20 pounds by the end of June and participate in two 5k runs is a MUCH better goal… you can visualize the outcome and it is more personal to YOU.

Example

In 2010, I plan to move to town from my current place in a rural area.  So, my big picture goal is:

Move downtown in a one bedroom/large studio apartment close to work with hardwood floors and a full gas kitchen.

With this goal in mind, I will set the following accomplishment goals:

• Determine what are of town I want to move to.
• Build a new budget and determine exact amount of monthly rent I can afford
• Research property management companies to determine who will make a good corporate landlord

The following are accomplishment goals, unrelated to my big picture goals:

• In my current/new place, create a creative, inspirational and inviting reading/working area with an arm chair and lighting.
• Travel to Colorado to visit my mom’s resting place
• Inspire three people to set and meet fitness goals

My short-term goals that can be accomplished over the period of a week or two might include:

• talk to friends who live downtown to get a better understanding of where I should live.
• Visit three rental properties by the end of the week.
• Spread the word to friends that I am moving and need a place to stay.
• Make sure my check book is balanced so I can create an accurate budget in Excel.
• Price arm chairs for my creative space

There you have it, a hierarchy of goals.  Setting up this hierarchy will help guarantee the success of meeting your goals in 2010.  Please don’t look at the creation of goals as a burden…  in fact goal setting is a lot of fun and gives you the chance to have the inner you come out and shine.  Listen to your heart, right them down, modify them, re-write them, and have enjoy the experience of planning your future.

Tools

Setting goals is one thing, tracking them is another. Tracking leads to accountability, which leads to success.   Here are a few tools you can use to track your 2010 goals (in no particular order):

Joe’s Goals (http://www.joesgoals.com/)
An awesome, web-based tool that is super simple to use.  Simply setup the goal and then click away.  Has email reminders if you haven’t tracked your goals lately.  There is also a great sense of community and group trends to inspire you.

Training Peaks (http://home.trainingpeaks.com/)
Geared more toward fitness and nutrition, Training Peaks offers a browser based interface to track your workouts, nutrition, goals, and overall health.  I personally have been using it as a Premium subscriber since May-2009 and have found it to essential part of my triathlon training routine/planning/recording.