2018 Goal Setting

So let’s talk about goal setting.  I’m the type of person that wants to know how to do things, likes to learn (in privacy) and isn’t afraid to take sweet sweet advantage of google to learn as much as I can.  But my follow through….well, if you’ve read more than this post, you know that’s where the ball drops.  Side note:  I haven’t decided if my lack of follow through is because I’m lazy, afraid of failure, exhausted, prone to procrastination or something else.  I have a suspicion its horrible combination of all the above.

I’m getting old(er) and it’s probably time I DO something if I want to have a eulogy worth reading.  I mean, my oldest kid thinks my hobbies are doing laundry and cleaning.  So, with the help of my friend google and a seminar I took at work back when I was at a particularly motivated point in life, I’ve decided to set some 2018 SMART goals.

There are a couple of different keywords associated with the SMART goal process, but I prefer the following:  Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely.  In the SMART framework, you set a goal, define how to measure progress and achievement, ensure the goal is actually something you can control and/or do, determine if the goal is relevant to something that is important to your life and give yourself a defined timeline.  I feel that framing an idea into the SMART matrix helps me turn an idea into a goal, complete with steps I can check off as I complete them.  And if anything gets me motivated, it’s a good old fashioned check list.

There are five areas I want to focus on this upcoming year:  Family, Financial, Health, Reading and New Stuff.  I have loads of things I want to do in these areas, but the endless lists are a little daunting so I need a little boost to find a starting point.  Over the next few days, I plan to define my SMART goals so I can actually try to get some stuff done.  Additional side note:  per my above first side note, follow through is not my forte, so don't say you weren't warned.

Do you have any goals?  How do you plan them out?