Tips & Tools: Follow Through

Will You Follow Through?

We all have our goals for the year—why is it that so many of us won’t follow through? It’s usually one of three reasons. Lack of planning. Unrealistic goals. Or inconsistent action.

Let’s look at a lack of planning first. Most people say “I want to do x-y-z by the end of this year” and think that is all they need to do to achieve the goal. They think the desire alone is enough to make it happen. Sorry to break it to you but desire to change/achieve is not enough on its own. You also need a solid action plan if you are serious about making some lasting changes.

It’s not too late – you can create your plan NOW and achieve your goals for 2011.

A plan help you stick to your resolutions and achieve your goals. Here is a very simplified way of working out a plan.

First, decide what you want to achieve. Be very specific and include as many details as possible. The more clarity you have about your goal the easier it will be to achieve it because you will have thought through what you truly want.

Second, determine the steps you need to take to make your resolution a reality and how long each step should take. Every finish line was crossed by putting one foot in front of the other over and over again. Take the time and figure out what your steps to success are. If you are not sure, ask someone who knows.

Now that you have all the pieces needed to create your plan, take a note book and sketch out your plan.

Next, decide when you will start (today, next week, and next month). Today is always a good choice since you’ve already started by working out the plan. Keep the momentum going. Then count how long the first step will take you and determine your first milestone deadline. Do the same for each step needed to complete your goal.

Then you are ready to fill in your weekly to-do list that will get you to your milestones. What do you need to do each day/week/month to get to each milestone and to your ultimate end goal? How long will each task take you? When do you plan on completing those tasks? Write that in your planner or calendar.

Once you have a rough sketch of dates, milestones and weekly tasks, sit down with your daily planner or calendar program to schedule in these items to your work week. Commit the time needed to make your resolution a reality. There are many great resources for scheduling support such as : Google calendar for business, and  Franklin Covey are a couple of my favorites.

Kate Powers is a certified professional coach with over 10 years of experience working with women small business owners in areas of business strategy and life balance to create successful businesses that support full and joyful lives.