How to set and achieve your end of year goals
The new year of 2023 is just around the corner and it’s that nerve-wracking time of the year again: that time when you review, reflect on, and assess your progress so far. Whether personal or professional, the mid-year months are a common time to revamp any goals you may have – ensuring you end the year with plenty of “wins” to look back on.
Below, we explore the importance of “end-of-year goals”, how to set achievable ones for the year, and how you can end your 2022 with a bang.
What are end-of-year-goals?
As the term suggests, “end-of-year goals” are personal or work-related objectives you set for yourself during October or November; the months making up the “end” of the year. It’s the timeframe that separates your goals from the start of the year, from what you hope to achieve by the year’s end.
As such, plenty often use this period to reflect on the progress of their current goals – identifying what they may need to pivot, change, or improve on to accomplish their aspirations for the incoming months.
Your “mid-year goals” may thus be an upgraded version of those you’ve established in January, or could even be completely new ambitions altogether.
How to set end-of-year goals
- Review your progress so far
- Identify what you want to achieve
- Be realistic
- Set deadlines
Review your progress so far
Before setting your sights on new objectives, it helps to firstly review any progress you’ve made since the start of the year. Take the time to celebrate any successes you’ve had so far – big or small, before jumping to your next challenge. Who knows, you may have already achieved a good portion of your goals for the year; now you’ve got space to create a few new ones!
On the other hand, avoid focusing on your shortcomings. Instead, leverage these “gaps” as opportunities to improve your skills, experience, and knowledge; or to simply readjust your aspirations.
Additionally, be sure to acknowledge the people who’ve helped you along the way – they may even play a role in contributing to your future goals.
Identify what you want to achieve (and be specific!)
Once you’ve taken stock of your life so far, be clear about the next few goals you wish to achieve. The more specific, the better; these details help you plan out the exact steps to take towards success.
Vague targets are also often the cause of why goals fall flat in the first place. For example, if your objective was to be “successful in your career” at the start of 2022, it’s one that’s hard to specifically measure – thus making it easy to feel like you’ve “failed” upon revisiting.
However, if you break down your career goals into more detailed objectives, such as “taking on a new project”, “building on a new skill”, or “preparing for a promotion”; they become easier, clearer and more measurable objectives to start working towards.
Be realistic
Of course, it’s important to be realistic about your capacity – both skill and time-wise. If you’ve still got a plenty of work and family-related responsibilities on your plate, then stuffing the second half of the year with a multitude of complex goals may not be the most manageable.
Likewise, when reflecting on your previous goals, it helps to be honest about how feasible they were to begin with. Perhaps landing that management position mid-year may not have been the most realistic, given your current experience and skillset. Adjusting that to a new goal of “complete a business management course” can help you gradually work towards that ambition, while setting a much more reasonable target for yourself for the rest of the year.
Set deadlines
Finally, planning ahead and setting deadlines is a must. This goes hand-in-hand with having clear, concrete goals; without a set date to work towards, your progress may just fall by the wayside.
It’s the same effect people often experience with New Year’s Resolutions – aspiring towards change without factoring in any a kind of time scale can lead to procrastination and lost focus. When setting your mid-year goals, break them down into realistic time-based milestones you can aim for, helping you maintain a disciplined schedule of progress.
How to achieve your mid-year goals
- Plan and prepare
- Envision your successes
- Revisit your goals often
Plan and prepare
As mentioned, planning and preparation are key to mid-year goal success. On top of setting realistic deadlines for yourself, it also helps to consider what you’ll need to achieve these targets: do you need to undergo professional training? Will you need to make a lifestyle change? Are you financially capable of reaching this goal?
When it doubt, it always helps to break down your objectives using the SMART method: assessing them by their specific details, measurability, achievability, how realistic they are, and the time you have available to achieve them.
Envision your successes
Cliched as it may sound, envisioning success can do wonders for your personal drive. It’s also an effective way to help structure the little details of your goals; as visualising exactly where you hope to be, how you want to feel, and what you what to have by the end of the year can help you map out the exact steps you need to take to get there.
Think about what it would mean for you to achieve your goals, how you plan to celebrate, and how you’d feel about yourself once you do. This mental practice can help fuel your passion, propelling you towards success.
Revisit your goals often
Lastly, taking the time to regularly visit your goals can help you retain focus.
Check in on your progress from time to time, assessing where you may be lacking (i.e. skills, financial, or time gaps) and rewarding yourself for any small “wins” you may have had along the way. This not only ensures your mid-year goals stay at the forefront of your mind, but keeping track of your successes can also help feed your drive and motivation. On the flipside, identifying areas for improvement can help keep you on track, should you feel your progress start to dwindle.
With most of the year passed already, it’s normal to assess your achievements so far, reflecting on your successes and where you hope to be by the year’s end. At times, all a goal needs is a little more focus; other times, they may need a boost in certain experiences or skill.
Upskilled offers a wide variety of nationally-recognised courses across Australia’s top industries, offering flexible training for those looking to build their professional skills by the end of 2022. Delivered online, they’re also manageable around a schedule and pace of your preference.
Arm yourself with the skills to start achieving your mid-year career goals, and enquire with us on a course today.