So what does make a good goal? My employer requires everyone to go through a performance management process where everyone defines goals at the start of the year and then each person is held accountable against those goals at the end of the year. Since its time to create my goals (I just started a month ago), I started doing a bit of reseach on defining goals and here are the 4 common components of a good goal:
Measurable Outcome
Specific Actions to Reach Said Outcome
Why the Outcome is Important / Purpose
Timeframe
Granted, these 4 items are a bit slanted towards performance management, but I thought they might be good to share since they can still apply to personal goals. Even if you dont state each of those items in your personal / life goals, youll still need to think about them. If you cant measure your progress against a goal, then how will you know what to change (or even if you need to change) in order to hit the goal? Perhaps you dont know what actions you should takebut if thats the case, you should figure them out (perhaps thats another goal right there) because if you dont know the next steps, how will you ever take them? If you cant say why the goal is important to you, then youre probably not going to be motivated to follow through with it. Finally, if you cant put a timeframe on it, then youre probably not serious about doing it. I used to think that I never had time for anything – then I realized I had to make time for the things that were important to me. Having a timeframe helps you commit to making that time and using it to work towards your goal.