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Once you have established your goals, created your vision board, scheduled your action steps into your planner, and begin to get to work towards your goals, you will need to take time out to review your progress.
You will want to schedule in weekly and monthly reviews of what you’ve accomplished, what you still need to improve, and what skills or knowledge you’ve gained. We manage what we monitor.
Monitoring it itself doesn’t require change, but often leads to change. You should monitor what is essential to ensure that your life reflects your values.
Tracking goals and tasks that support them
When working on goals, it’s important to track your progress along the way. Using a task management worksheet may help. Tracking goals will help you meet deadlines that you’ve established, stay focused, and overcome obstacles. Track your progress from day to day during the week. I’ve heard it said before that you can’t change what you don’t track.
At the end of each week, review your task management worksheet or your calendar and identify your results. If you identify areas that you didn’t meet expectations, mark those with an asterisk (*). These items will represent where you want to focus more next week or an area for improvement.
Keep reviewing and editing your to-do list or task list as things change. Review at the end of the month again and journal about your month. I have a place in the back of my calendar for each month’s review and I make note of the following at the end of the month:
- What went well?
- What did I accomplish?
- What could have gone better?
- What needs to change?
- Lessons learned.
- Priorities for next month.
- Other thoughts/Rewards for successes.
Tracking goals to celebrate success
It’s important to take the time to enjoy your successes. This will not only allow space for a reprieve but also allows time for reflection. Reflect on how far you’ve come; how much you are grateful for; what skills or knowledge you have acquired; and how you may have helped others in your journey.
Keep a running list of your achievements so that you look back and see all that you have accomplished. You may want to add them to your list after your weekly review, so you don’t forget them. Be kind to yourself and take time to celebrate each milestone.
Tracking goals to stay accountable
A goal without a plan is just a wish. It won’t come true if you don’t work towards it. Have integrity and do what you told yourself you would do (even when you don’t feel like it.)
Tracking goals will make you accountable to yourself. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but great things never come from the comfort zone.
You will either make progress or make excuses. Be stubborn about achieving your goals even though you may need to make some adjustments from time to time. Do what you can and try to make the most out of every day.