How to Set Daily Goals

We often talk about our goals as if they are nothing but dreams. In reality, we can attain goals on a day-to-day basis. Daily goals contribute to weekly goals. Weekly goals contribute to monthly goals. Monthly goals contribute to--you guessed it--yearly goals. With some foresight and planning, our goals can be something we achieve day in and day out. Here's how to start

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Make a list of goals every single day. Even if you anticipate a slow day, it's still a good idea to set goals for yourself. The sooner you get into the habit of setting daily goals, the sooner you'll get into the habit of meeting them.

2. Keep your daily goal lists in one place. You can use a spiral notebook, a personal organizer or your computer's calendar program. Keeping your goals in one place allows you to look over the lists from days and weeks gone by, which makes it easy for you to see how consistently you're meeting your goals.

3. Be realistic about your daily goals. A goal like "Make $2,000 before 5 p.m." is vague and unrealistic, but a goal like "Network with four clients" is totally attainable--and just might help you work toward that $2,000.

4. Envision your daily goals as the "building blocks" of your weekly and monthly goals. For example, if you want to send marketing material to ten prospective clients by the end of the week, make it your goal to send material to two prospective clients per workday.

Tips & Warnings

• Reward yourself for a job well done. If you accomplish three daily goals before lunch, take a nice walk or chat with friends. If you accomplish all of your goals by the end of the day, enjoy some ice cream or go to a movie. Even the smallest incentive can be a big encouragement.

• Don't feel discouraged if you fail to complete every single thing on your daily goal list. The more experience you gain with setting goals, the better you'll be at knowing exactly what you can and can't accomplish in a day.