How to identify goals and stick to them

Running a club/organisation will naturally involve working towards multiple goals at the same time. Finding the time to dedicate to identifying and achieving a goal can often take a back seat.

To help you focus, achieve and conquer your goals, we’ve cherry-picked our most helpful tips plus spoken to expert business coach Nicky Masson for her advice.

Read on for advice about how to identify your goals, time management, setting boundaries, creating lists, being realistic, and when to delegate.

How to identify your business goals

Having clear goals is key. If you are yet to define your business goals, then a business needs analysis should be your first step.

A business needs analysis identifies core business requirements, potential problems, and solutions needed to improve. It may be that you are having issues recruiting or keeping members.

Once you identify these needs, you can pinpoint your goals and create a plan. It is important to remember that a goal without a plan is just a wish.

The process of carrying out a business needs analysis is simple. The three main questions you need to ask yourself are:

• What are your organisation’s goals?
• What are you looking to achieve?
• What gaps do you currently have in the organisation?

For more helpful tips and advice on identifying your business goals, read our article about how to conduct a business needs analysis.

Five expert tips on how to stick to your goals

Having identified your goals, you now need to stick to them. Although staying motivated is much easier than it sounds.

We spoke to Nicky Masson, a Leicestershire-based Business Coach and Consultant. Nicky specialises in helping people from around the world reach their goals. Nicky uses her life experiences to help others find their ‘breakthrough’ moment.

Here are Nicky’s top five tips on staying focused and reaching your goals:

Blocks of time

Set aside your working hours and mark them in your diary/planner. If working in the day is not possible, try working earlier in the day, in the evenings, and at the weekends instead. Almost always, burning both ends of the candle will lead to burnout. Ensure you have enough downtime, family time and exercise scheduled into your day too.

LoveDance Community Ambassador Emily Redding suggests: “It’s all about having a positive mindset, self belief and most importantly periods of rest to avoid burnout. And if that doesn’t work, unlimited coffee and patience.”

Work from a list

Working from a list not only helps to increase productivity by 25%, but just one minute of planning can help save you 10 minutes in execution. Start with a list and then identify your most critical tasks and complete those first.

LoveSwimming Community Ambassador Clive Marquis says: “I always think it’s important to make tasks as easy to achieve as possible, so then you’ll do them. If it’s a big goal break it down into really small achievable tasks on a list that can be completed in 30 minutes or less. As a result, you won’t procrastinate.”

Set clear boundaries 

Let everyone know in your household/workplace when you will be working and what your expectations are during that time. Limit interruptions and distractions so that you can focus for the whole time you have set aside. That way every minute of your time is productive. One hour of focused activity is worth far more than several hours of distractions.

Outsource, delegate or remove 

Identify all the tasks that have little or no value, or that could be done by someone else. Is there anything you can outsource, delegate, or remove to free up your time? Is there another club official who could help you with running the social media or creating the email communications?

Be realistic 

You will never have enough time for everything. But there is always time for your most critical tasks. Once you have identified what they are, then be realistic about what you can achieve. Being unrealistic will only set you up for failure. Set yourself up to win by completing what you set out to do.

Clive says: “A SWOT analysis is really good at helping to make sure that club goals are clear and realistic.” Download a SWOT analysis template here.

Thank you to Nicky for sharing these top motivational tips. Are you looking to take your club or organisation to the next level? Download our free Business Performance ebook.