Actually, there's more to it than that. While goal setting is important, reviewing progress and adjusting plans at various points throughout the year is even more important.
To be honest, I'm not very good at long-term goal setting. "Life" changes things sometimes in the blink of an eye (I know that all too well), so I don't like to set myself up for failure right from the start. Obviously I, too, need to not only set yearly goals and make plans, I need to concentrate on short-term goals and set aside time to adjust as necessary on a regular basis.
There are many goal-setting tools available and I'm sure I have at least two or three "how to set goals" e-books on my hard drive that I've purchased or downloaded for free with the greatest of intentions. But I'll admit that I am easily overwhelmed when it comes to tackling the job of reading the books and putting plans behind the goals and action behind the plans. So, this year what I intend to do (good intentions as usual, but I think this will work for me) is to simply write monthly goals in the front of a stenographer's notebook (the size suits me), record plans for the month, and then write a daily to-do list each night or early morning. I've been doing the daily lists for the past few weeks and that method is working well for me.
Have you started planning and setting goals for 2012? How do you do it? I'd love if you'd share your methods and favorite resources here. Perhaps the way you plan will ring true with someone who reads your comment, someone like me who struggles in this area. So please, leave a comment below. Your suggestions could really help someone have a truly productive new year!
