Keeping motivated: Track your progress

What’s the longest-term goal that you’re working on right now?

It might be something a few weeks away, months or even years.  The really big goals — things like college degrees, career advancement, planning for retirement — tend to be in the “years” category.

Achieving goals with years-long timelines can be really difficult, as it’s hard to see exactly how the day-to-day work we do contributes to the greater achievement.  One way to help make the connection is to track your progress.

By tracking your progress, you not only see how you’re drawing yourself closer to your goal, but you also create a log for yourself that can help you course-correct.  If certain activities are bringing value, great.  If others aren’t, you can see how much of your time they absorb and where else they might be spent.  All good info.

What type of progress you track depends on the goal you’re pursuing.  For job search, it may be new networking contacts or job interviews.  Financial goals would most likely track money in the bank, but may also track changes in spending habits like reducing your budget for takeout Thai food or skipping the popcorn at the movie theater.  Career goals might track things as milestone-oriented as promotions, or more granular reflections of your progress like learning a skill or technology, managing a project, or gaining P&L responsibility.

Want to make a difference today in goal orientation?

How to make progress toward a long-term goal

1. Pick one major goal that takes months or years to accomplish.  Write it down.
2. Underneath the goal, write the primary steps to achieve that goal.  They may be a timeline, or they may be a collection of activities that will bring you where you want to go.
3. Find something on the list that’s something you can do in a relatively short time, say a week.  If you don’t have one of those on your list, pick something that you can start in the next week or so.
4. Work to check that item off your list.

As you check items off the list, celebrate them.  Have a beer, do a dance, kiss your neighbor — whatever moves you.  By watching as the “to-dos” fall off the list, you’ll see progress and naturally feel motivated to tackle the next item.

One way or another, pat yourself on the back for how far you’ve come.  Just don’t rest on your laurels.

photo credit: nDevilTV

Related posts:

1. Get motivated: Check off your to-dos
2. 5 things you can do right now to get out of your productivity hole
3. 5 Ways to Get Unstuck Today to Achieve Your Goals
4. Getting into alignment: Putting passion into your everyday
5. 15 minutes a day to more productive work

Tagged as: Career, goals, how to, planning