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A New Approach To Goal Setting

by Denise Fay on January 10th, 2011
15 Comments



Everywhere you turn this week, you see reviews of 2010, predictions for 2011 and how to make the most of the new year. All great sentiments, especially about making the most of 2011.

Goal setting seems to the theme at the moment. New year resolutions are being set. This year won’t be the same as last year, etc.

I don’t know why people wait until the new year to start a new regime. I guess it’s the dawn of a new year bringing with it a new level of hope. But it is the first step you take to changing that matters, not the date.

You can change anytime that you want.

So if by February 1st, your goals of losing 15lb while going to the gym 5 nights a week haven’t been accomplished, well then, draw a line under it and set new goals in February.

Brian Tracey said that it takes 21 days to form a habit, so start those 21 days anytime. The 10th of January, the 27th of January or 1st of February.

If you look at goal-setting in a relaxed way, you’re more likely to achieve your goals.

Make the change when you want to make the change, not because some date is dictated to you.

Sure, the new year brings hope and enthusiasm for a brand new year. But within that year, there are 365 days (sometimes 366 days), each one bringing it’s own fresh start.

So start making the most of the days, not necessarily the year. There’s an old saying: “if you look after the pennies, the pounds will look after themselves”. Applying that same logic, if you look after the days, the year will look after itself. So by December 31st 2011, you’ll be toasting a whole heap of achievements.

(I’ll be back to the marketing and copywriting tips next time!)

Happy 2011 – may it be productive & happy.



Category: Business expansion, entrepreneurship, marketing, Start-ups

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The Author:

Denise Fay is an international marketing specialist who is passionate about marketing & helping small businesses get & keep customers. She set up the marketing consultancy Achieve Marketing after her redundancy from a Fortune 500 company in 2005. She brings big company knowledge and international marketing to every project or plan she works on. Working Words by Denise Fay is a sister company of Achieve Marketing which was set up in 2010. This is the copy-writing side of the business which has Denise at the helm. She is a trusted and proven copy-writer creating content strategies and writing everything that can be written in terms of sales copy, e.g, newsletters, ezines, websites, blogs, case-studies, articles and brochures. She believes that copy-writing is the secret to successful marketing and good sales copy should be start of a long-term relationship with its reader. http://www.denisefay.com

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  • http://blog.myprojecttracker.com Barney Austen

    Hi DenisennI’m with you on this one. I tend to revisit my goals formally once a quarter, but fortnightly for the smaller achievements that I set for the business. If they need to be refreshed on the quarter, then that’s when it happens. An honest and pragmatic approach is by far the best – no point in trying to climb Everest if a challenge or goal the size of a small foothill didn’t get achieved.nnRegards

  • http://www.seefincoaching.com/blog Elaine Rogers

    Goal setting has been over-hashed, over-rated to the extreme, I agree that the time is right when it feels right. So many resolutions are made on Dec 31st of every year. The area where most people fail before they even begin is to write them done, and then make a SMART plan to realise those goals.nnA goal without action is only a dream, and whilst we need dreams, resolutions need planning.nI remember when I gave up smoking the year the Euro came out. I was determined, but also determined not to be ruled by the Jan 1st timeline. So I made a resolution to finish the pack I was smoking, and then just not buy or borrow any more. It worked a treat, but only because I was ready, and only because it was on my terms.nAnother reason, not to set goals, is when they are for others and not for self.nnGreat post Denise, you have great clarity, and like Barney’s comment, it’s important to regularly review goals, and be realistic about accomplishing them :) nnHappy New Year!

  • http://www.btbtraining.com/blog Niall Devitt

    Hi Denise, I like common sense approaches, great post! One of the things that I often notice with goal setting is that people set themselves up to fail in going to extremes rather than aimed for more doable targets over shorter time frames. As you point out in your post, people who achieve their aims are able to break targets down in to small manageable chunks. Great Reminders, Niall

  • Denise

    Hey Elaine,nnFirstly, well done you for giving up smoking. That’s a huge achievement. nnSecondly, I whole-heartedly agree that resolutions need planning with a SMART approach. It’s only then that they will be achieved. Glad you liked my post. nD.

  • Denise

    Hey hey Barney, I agree completely with you about the smaller achievements. Sometimes when you’re working away, you don’t notice the little achievements. Yet often they are the achievements that drive you and motivate you to do a bit more. nnLet us know about your achievements aswell..as noting them for yourself. nnTake carenDenise

  • Anonymous

    Great post Denise. I agree that you shouldn’t be tied down by a particular time of the year. I’d like to recommend the Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology in which emphasis is placed on different levels of focusnnRunway – Next Actionsn10,000 ft – Projectsn20,000 ft – Areas of Focus and Responsibilityn30,000 ft – Goals and Objectivesn40,000 ft – Visionn50,000 ft – Purpose and PrinciplesnnThe idea is that the higher your focus level is the less frequent you need to visit it. For example, you review Next Actions at least once a day; Projects once a week; Areas of Focus once a month; Goals/Objectives once a quarter; etc.nnThis is a really effective way of ensuring that goals you set for yourself are being translated into concrete outcomes. Of course by the time you come to do your quarterly Goals/Objectives you will be able to measure if any progress has been made.

  • Denise

    Hi Frank, nThanks for stopping by and sharing the GTD methodology. I’ve never heard of it but makes sense. I like it. So better get back onto the runway and focus on it! nTake care,nD.

  • http://www.ivanwalsh.com Ivan Walsh

    Hey Denise. nnI focus on one goal – and one goal only – until I get it right… and then do the next. nnTaking on too much defeats one’s purpose, or at least mine :) nnIvan

  • http://twitter.com/GoalsOnTrack Harry Che

    Great advice. Every day is a fresh start. Like that one. Goals should be direction we lead our life, not something we judge ourselves with.

  • Andrea

    Great point! Yes, start anytime, it doesn’t have to be a specific date on the calendar or time of day. Any time I have achieved something that I wanted badly enough something in me just clicked and I went for it. I didn’t wait for a specific time, because when it feels right you go for it then and there.

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  • http://ajeva.com/ Ajeva

    I think what you mean is setting realistic goals? This year, I’ve told myself that this is the last time I’ll be making a New Year’s Resolution list— and just go ahead and get that ‘resolve’ to do the things in my wishlist. Then, temptation comes and you tell yourself the all-time excuse that ‘you’re just human’ – ironic, right? Happy 2011 too!

  • Denise

    Andrea, it’s so true. It’s like Nike – just do it…when it feels right. You’re more motivated to achieve then.

  • Denise

    It’s really hard to not judge ourselves I think. I wrote a blog post over at http://www.denisefay.com/blog about the use of the word ‘should’. Basically, we are our own worst critics and sometimes we should just give ourselves a break. And celebrate the little achievements.

  • Denise

    I like that Ivan – one goal at a time. A great sense of achievement for you at the end, I’m sure.nD.

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