The secret to setting and achieving workplace goals

Feel like you can’t focus? Lacking productivity and motivation to get things done? You’re not alone. 

Statistics show that 85% of people feel disengaged at work. 

So, what’s the secret? Setting planned, thoughtful, and time-sensitive workplace goals. Applying a specific framework to your objectives can result in personal and professional development, and better overall efficiency.

Here’s how to get started.

What is goal setting? Why is it important?

Goal setting is creating precise and personal activities to be completed to a specific time-frame, leading to increased productivity. 

Aristotle proposed that “purpose causes action”. Centuries later in the 1960s, psychologist Edwin Locke built on this theory. Locke explained that those who set clear and realistic goals were more likely to succeed than individuals who set unspecific and simple objectives. 

It’s a useful tool for employers too. Collaborating with employees to set role specific goals can help you to keep an eye on employee engagement and performance. Recent research has shown that people who set regular performance goals are 31% more likely to experience company success than those who only visit them once a year. A win-win for both parties.

How to set goals in 5 easy steps

1. What are your objectives?

   What do you want to achieve? Pinpoint some goals and make a list. Remember, be as exact and specific as you can. This will make your goals easier to understand, and easier to remember!

2. Assess your current reality

   You don’t want to stretch yourself too thin. Ask yourself how relevant your objective is to your work? What are the consequences if you don’t complete this goal? Can I put aside enough time to get the job done properly? 

   These questions will help you narrow down your most important tasks. Zeroing in on your goals should incentivise you to get them done.

3. Prioritise

   Now that you’ve created a purposeful and focused set of goals, listing them by priority is an important step. This will help you to visualise where you can fit your goal into your daily and weekly activities. 

   Moving quickly through your tasks in priority should hopefully improve your workflow, instead of becoming lost in a never-ending to-do list.

4. Assign a deadline

   Love them or hate them, we can all benefit from the pressure of a deadline once in a while.

   Allocating deadlines and due dates to your goals can help to keep you accountable.

   You’re more likely to get things done, feel more engaged, and feel a greater sense of satisfaction with a measurable objective.

5. Re-evaluate and assess your progress

   Monitoring your progress can give you a more detailed picture of your overall performance.

   Check against your deadlines and take time to reflect. If you’re not making the progress you’d like, you need to identify where you’re going wrong. Do you need more time? Do you need to set mini-goals within your current list? 

Start today

You’ve got it all down on paper, but what next? 

At In Business, we want to help you achieve success, which is why we created our Goal Getters Journal! Using our book as a planner, you can attain your most important business goals over a period of 90 days. The first step is writing them down.

Grab your copy from Amazon today!