Writing daily goals is a shortcut to achieving great results. They help clarify, focus, and quicken your goal achievement over the short term, so that you’re able to hit your big goals in the long run.
The act of writing your goals down makes them more real and tangible, and adds a level of accountability.
You may already be setting goals in your head, but you can take things to the next level by writing them down.
Finish things faster
The key to achieving large goals it to make them manageable. Choosing a “day-sized” portion is a great way to move toward the things you want.
Breaking anything down into smaller pieces lets you see the finish line before you start, and that makes it easier to feel like a success, since success in life almost always comes from incremental achievement. It’s when you chain enough small wins together that you see big results.
Once you hit your daily goal, you can go ahead and reward yourself with a Mini Celebration for a job well done.
What you focus on gets done
When you control what you focus on, you control what gets done.
The fact that you’re setting a goal just before you start your day, means you know how busy you’ll be, and you can set your goals accordingly. The goals should be reasonable, but achievable.
Your daily goal could be something as simple as, “Today, I’ll focus on having high quality phone conversations.” It could also be more specific. You could write, “I’ll finally complete that quarterly marketing report I’ve been putting off.”
Ideally, your daily goals should line up with the #1 item on your long-term goals list.
Clarify your goals
Goals that you set six months or a year ago might no longer apply today. By regularly reviewing what you want in life, you can ask questions to make sure your goals are still valid.
Here are some questions that should help:
- Is this goal still important?
- Are my priorities in the right place?
- What’s the next logical step in this process?
- Am I on pace to hit my current long-term goal?
- What should I do less of?
- What should I do more of?
Written daily goals are one of the easiest ways to accomplishing more and feel good while you’re doing it. It’s easy to start doing, so give it a shot and see how it works for you.
