How to Set Goals and Objectives

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Setting goals and working toward them can help you turn your dreams into reality. Goals are things you set to accomplish either in a long period of time or a short period of time.

TYPES OF GOALS

1.Short Term Goals: These are goals that you can accomplish within a short period of time, i.e. 3 days or 2 weeks.

2.Long Term Goals: These are goals that you can accomplish within a long period of time, i.e. 6 months or 5 years.

Steps

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Become clear on the outcome you want to achieve. The more defined your vision, the easier it will be set goals and objectives. This will also help you stay focused on the things that will help you achieve your goals.

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   Write down your goals. Take time to write out all the goals you have for yourself. If you have personal and business goals, write them out separately. You may wish to work on one area at a time so that you do not become overwhelmed. People are often unable to achieve goals because they become overwhelmed with the tasks and feel they will not be able to accomplish them all. By breaking things into smaller areas, chances of success increase.
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   Determine the objectives for each goal. Objectives break each goal down into smaller steps. By working on one step at a time, you are able to achieve your goals more easily and there is more clarity about the tasks you are undertaking.
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   Put your goals and objectives into time frames. Look at your overall list and figure out what goals need to be accomplished first in order for you to achieve larger goals. An example may be that your immediate goal is to exercise more, which in turn will lead you to a larger goal of losing a certain amount of weight. Break down your goals into 3 month, 6 month, 1 year, and 5 year time frames.
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   Review your goals. Read each goal and objective and visualize what it will feel like to achieve it. The more you can visualize the more real it becomes to you. At this step, it may also be a good idea to create a vision board with pictures of the goals you are aiming for. These pictures can help motivate you to stay on track to achieve your goals.
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   Put your list in a place that is easily accessible. You may wish to have a copy on your computer or carry a copy with you in a goals and objectives notebook. This notebook can be a journal you keep as you work to achieve your goals. You may wish to write in it daily or when you accomplish a goal.
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   Return to your lists after each time frame. Take time to sit and review what goals and objectives you were able to reach and which ones you missed. For those you were not able to accomplish, think of what steps you could take differently and set goals again for that task.