Productivity

The Reason We Don’t Reach Our Goals

Most of us are striving for something in our lives. It might be a new job, a better situation, a new skill, better health, or an infinite amount of other things. Even if we haven’t written them down or clarified them in our minds, we are all trying for something. (Even if it is just getting through another day).

One of the first ways to go about reaching a goal is to crystallize it in our minds so that we are clear about what we are trying to have/do/be. Then the next is to break it down into manageable steps.

Today we will look at the reason we don’t reach our goals, even after we have written them down and written the steps we need to reach them.

How It Happens

We’ve set ourselves up for success by figuring out what we want, and how we’re going to get there. We think about steps, dates, even alternative methods of getting what we want.

And still we don’t reach them. Why?

Is it laziness? Probably not.
Is it lack of planning? Probably not.
Is it lack of clarity or not wanting it enough? Probably not.

The Reason Goals Fail

I believe the reason we fail to reach our goals is that in spite of everything we may do, we fail to keep it in the forefront of our minds.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Let’s face it…once we set any goal, we’re not 100% focused on it. We have life obligations, family commitments and urgent tasks that pop up. So our goals get moved to the back by the stuff we are doing day to day.

And if we don’t consciously bring those goals back to the front of our minds frequently, they will be lost in the sea of daily tasks.

We need to review appropriately, and do it often.

When To Review

Einstein said that things need to be made as simple as possible, but not any simpler.

The same holds true for reviewing. You ned to review as often as necessary, but not any oftener.

I’m not trying to talk circles here, but the level of reviewing is going to be an individual thing. My level of review is as follows:

  • Yearly. This is when I set my goals, but also look at the ones that aren’t done.
  • Quarterly. I look at the goals from the yearly list and plan what will get done during the quarter. I review what is left over from last quarter.
  • Monthly. Every month I choose what I am going to work on and put it in a special list in my planner.
  • Weekly. Every week I pick items from the monthly list and work on them.
  • Daily. I look at my work load for the day, and then from the weekly list I pick things I can get done.

How To Review

Reviewing won’t do much good if you don’t do it well. Goals are not set in stone. If you are working toward something and realize it isn’t something you want, why continue to put the effort into it?

Reviewing means not only looking at the end result, but also why you’re doing it. It means:

  • Evaluate if the goal is still something you want.
  • Evaluate why you’re working on this goal. Is the reason still valid?
  • Evaluate the path you are on to reach the goal. Is it still the best path?
  • Evaluate the time frame. Is this something that still needs to be done now? Or has something else become more important?

Conclusion

The reason goals fail are because they aren’t being effectively reviewed. Figure out how often to review your goals, assess whether the goal still makes sense, and plan your action if it’s going forward.

What do you think? Is lack of reviewing the reason you aren’t reaching your goals?


Photo by viZZZual.com. Licensed under Creative Commons.

7 Comments

  • Phil Altstatt

    check out wevaya… it is social media meets goal accountability. Reminds me of your tips. THanks!

  • Bubba

    Until a couple of years ago I was on the same review cycle as you describe (plus an all-day retreat for a “whole-life” review every February 29). At some point I decided that too much of my limited interruption-free time was going into the reviews themselves, so I not only streamlined the process I was using for the reviews, but also replaced the 12 monthly plus 4 quarterly reviews with 6 “bi-monthly” reviews. FWIW.

    • LJ Earnest

      This is an interesting way to approach it. Not too much, not too little. Do you ever find that things fall through the cracks?

    • Bubba

      Only if I still start falling behind even on the modified review schedule. Of course I also merge reviews when the ends of different periods coincide, i.e. the annual review also includes a bimonthly, weekly, and daily review in the same session.