Mid-year Goals Review
How are you doing towards accomplishing your 2018 goals?
It's mid-July already; I really can't believe it. This year has been going by very quickly. Having been through over half of this year, it seems like a great time to reflect on the past months and plan for the months ahead. Let's start by checking in on your goals that you set at the beginning of the year or last quarter. Earlier in March, I wrote a blog post What's your plan for 2018? about setting goals and shared some tips that have helped me so far. I'm excited to reflect on the progress you have made over the last three months.
Most of us are accustomed to mid-year reviews at work, now let's apply those principles to our personal development plans. I encourage you to set some time aside and take stock of where you are on your journey towards achieving your goals. In this post, I will share some attributes of a good review and share some practical tips on how to conduct your review.
What does a good review cover?
The discipline of regularly reviewing your goals provides you the opportunity to do the following:
Check-in on your progress towards achieving your goals.
Identify the changes you need to make to achieve your goals.
Celebrate your achievements and successes.
Evaluate if your goals are still relevant to where you are on your journey.
Top 5 activities to do during your review
There are multiples ways to go about a review. Here are five activities I do during my goal reviews that I believe will help you.
#1: Assess your progress
Start by looking at your list of goals and the progress you have made over the past months. The primary objective of this activity is to reflect and document the steps you have taken towards achieving your goals. Don't feel discouraged if you didn't accomplish everything you thought you would have achieved by now. Continue with the next steps.
Questions to ask yourself:
What goals are you working towards?
What have you accomplished so far towards the goals you set?
What were your significant learnings about your goals?
#2: Celebrate your achievements
Every step you have taken towards your goals is an achievement. Make time to reflect and celebrate them. Acknowledging your accomplishments will motivate you for the journey ahead. Remember to recognize the small achievements as well.
Questions to ask yourself:
What goals did you accomplish?
What helped you achieve your goals?
How did you feel when you achieved those goals?
#3: Identify your challenges and blockers
With the goals that you have not yet achieved, it is essential to understand the reason why. As part of your assessment be honest with yourself, document the internal and external challenges you faced. You will learn more about yourself through this activity.
Questions to ask yourself:
What were the significant challenges and blockers you faced while trying to achieve your goals?
What changes can you make today that will help you achieve your goals?
What kind of support would help you be more successful at achieving your goals?
#4: Test a new strategy
As we grow and develop, it is essential to be open to adapt your approach towards achieving your goals. There are many reasons why we may not have accomplished our goals; it's time to try something new. Apply your learnings, plan differently and adapt your implementation approach.
Questions to ask yourself:
Are your goals attainable and realistic?
Do you have a plan and clear action items?
How often will you check-in on your progress?
Do you have a support group?
#5: Set your new goals
You have reflected, identified areas of improvement, now it's time to look forward and add some new goals to your plan. Life has changed a lot since the beginning of this year. Make sure your goals documented and that you have some action items. Goal-setting should be a continuous activity, not only done at the beginning of the year. Learn some more techniques on how to set your goals in my previous post What's your plan for 2018?.
Questions to ask yourself:
What are some new goals you want to achieve over the next three months and six months?
What will you do differently to ensure you achieve your goals?
Who will hold you accountable for achieving your goals?
My Progress Update - 2018 so far....
I want to wrap up this post by sharing how I've been doing towards my 2018 yearly and quarterly goals. The break-down below is done in the categories I defined and prioritized.
Finances: I am delighted with my progress towards my financial goals. Although I have had some surprise expenses, I have been able to save in other areas.
Professional: To be honest, I'm stuck. I'm not making progress I hoped to make in 2018. Without going into great details, it's been a few months of learning and adapting to change in my Career. I'm working on identifying the changes I need to make. Expect an update in the upcoming months.
Personal: It's been a tremendous year for me personally. I've been able to spend face to face time with my family and friends. I also got to travel to my other home countries - Nigeria and Germany.
Business: My business has been growing slowly. Some of the goals I set were not realistic and needed to be adapted. My greatest achievements have been, launching my blog and finally launching Mastermind groups with a group of lovely ladies.
Learning/Development: I have had the opportunity to learn new skills, resurrect dormant skills by attending training and events.
The rest of 2018 will bring much change for me; I'm prepared to adapt my plan and learn through the process.
Final Thoughts
Do something every day to achieve your goals - you will enjoy a sense of fulfillment.
Adapt to change - learn from it and update your plan.
Keep your goals current and relevant - working towards an outdated goal is a waste of time.
Make time to review your progress regularly- keep your eye on your goals.
Keep learning about yourself - we all achieve goals differently. Find your way.
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