In this week’s edition of Things I Wish I Knew, New York solo lawyer Joleena Louis shares how she is working hard to accomplish her goals for 2016, and how you can do the same.
We are getting down to the last two months of 2016. If you haven’t reached all the goals you set at the beginning of the year, then you have two options: give up now or go hard and accomplish as much as you can in the next few weeks.
It’s not too late for your practice to finish the year on a high note. By following these tips and staying motivated, you can reach your goals before 2017 rolls around.
Review your goals
The first thing you need to do is review all the goals you set for yourself. Cross out the ones you’ve accomplished and the ones you no longer have a desire to complete. Whatever is left is what you need to focus on.
Then re-strategize the ones you want to accomplish.
Look at the goals that are left and determine how you can accomplish them in the next 60 days. You may have to revise the original goal, but that is okay as long as you will be able to then accomplish that goal.
For example, maybe your goal was to increase your net profit by 50k, but so far you’ve only made 20k more. Decide how much you can realistically earn in the next two months and make that your new goal.
This past March, I started working on my first book (for divorcing entrepreneurs) and the goal was to have it done by October. Unfortunately, it’s now almost November and I’m only a little over halfway done. My revised goal is to have it finished by January 15th, and I am doing everything in my power to meet the deadline I’ve set for myself.
Post your goals somewhere you will see them every day
Write them down on a post it, leave a note on your fridge or set a reminder on your phone. Make it easy for yourself to be reminded of your ambitions and the work that is needed to complete them.
I have a post-it on the wall in front of my desk that says ”Did you work on the book today?” I also set an alarm on my phone to go off at 8:30am. This is when I usually review my to-dos for the day and that reminds me to schedule time to write.
Find a way to hold yourself accountable
I am not great at keeping my word to myself, but I am obsessive about keeping my word to others. So for me, sharing my goals keeps me accountable. If I tell everyone I’ll have my book completed by January, I’ll be more motivated to get it done.
Do anything and everything to hold yourself accountable and responsible for the goals you set for yourself.
Make time to work on your goals
One of the reasons I didn’t reach my goal in the first place was a (perceived) lack of time. But after taking a good look at how I was spending my time, I learned that I could set aside several hours each week to work on my book if I made a few sacrifices.
I schedule an hour every day for writing. It does not matter when that hour happens as long as I get it in. I also started carrying my iPad with me everywhere I go. So whenever I have 10-15 minutes of downtime I can get some additional writing done.
I also made the decision that between now and the end of the year I would sacrifice some weekends to get more done.
Put in the work
One of my favorite quotes is “Don’t be upset by the results you didn’t get with the work you didn’t do.” This is definitely applicable when trying to reach a goal in a short period of time.
You set your goals for a reason and you’ll never be successful if you don’t put in the work to accomplish them.
November and December are difficult months to get things done due to all the holidays and distractions. But you have to prioritize and be willing to put in the extra work if you want to take your business to the next level.
By using these tips and staying dedicated to yourself, you can accomplish the goals you set before. Setting your firm up for a productive and motivating start to the new year.
What goals are you working on for the end of the year? Let me know in the comments below!
