Well, 2020 was a bust.

Maybe you had some good things happen. (I hope you did!) My guess is that at least one good thing happened to you, and most likely more. But still, it’d be nice to shake off 2020 and create a new start in 2021.

So how do we move forward into a new year—especially since many of the woes of 2020 will spill over into 2021? How do we pick ourselves up again? Where can we find our compass?

The Good Kind of Goals

Bill Burnett, coauthor of Designing Your Life and Designing Your Work Life, is a big believer of creating bite-sized goals. If your goal can’t be achieved in the next five to ten days, then research says you’ll most likely give up. As he puts it, “Set the bar low and clear it, over and over again.”

So what does this look like? Instead focusing on a goal like “Get hired at company X,” you’d set up a bunch of smaller goals that lead to it: 

• Research company X and who works in relevant departments
• Send out five emails to establish or cultivate connection from there
• Create my career story: be able to tell people how my experience would lend itself to helping their company
• Meet up with a friend to practice elevator pitches
• And so on

If it’s hard to start small, then start big! Imagine where you want to be and what you want to be doing. Then think in reverse. Okay, so you want to head the marketing department of a major athletics brand. What skills will you need to get there? Who do you have to connect with? The main focus, however, needs to be on the smaller goals, not the larger one. 

Another Way of Looking at It

Some people think of this whole process like this: set a goal, then make a plan. Lift your head up to see what direction you want to go and how to get there, then put your head down and focus on the steps right in front of you.

“A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true.”

—Greg Reid, motivational speaker and author

Storm the Brain

Most likely, you’re not going to be able to come up with these passively while making lunch or juggling the family’s multiple Zoom meetings. Block out half an hour in the morning with a keyboard and screen or pen and paper, and brainstorm. Don’t limit yourself while generating ideas—keep your pen or keyboard moving! 

Here are a few different brainstorm tactics. Use whichever appeals to you:

• Bulleted lists
• Freestyle writing (writing without stopping)
• Mind maps (you can even find a site online that will create one for you) 
• Talk it out (with a friend, pet, or mirror)
• Storyboard (draw it out)

Smart Goals

And as always, you should be creating SMART goals. This acronym originally comes from George T. Doran and was fine-tuned by Peter Drucker. Your bite-sized goals should have these five attributes:

• Specific—Do you easily understand how to execute your goal?
• Measurable—How will you know you’ve done or chipped away at a goal?
• Achievable—Are you sure you can accomplish this with the time and resources you have?
• Relevant—Is this actually going to help to get you where you want to go?
• Time-bound—What’s the time frame for this? When are you going to do it specifically?

How to Keep This Going Long Term

I know you might not want to hear this, but in order to get where you want to go, you have to frequently check in with your progress. Set aside a half hour or hour each week to sit with your plans and reflect on where you are and where you want to go. Make that a part of your goals. And the best thing you can do for yourself is to avoid judging yourself during your reflection. If you did nothing toward your goal this week, that’s okay. 

And what’s great about this form of goal planning is that it’s adaptable to where you are right now. 2020 was a difficult year; 2021 will likely be more of the same. By taking it one day or week at a time, you can avoid losing steam and burning out. Remember the A in SMART goals: make sure your goals are actually achievable. 

I’m Stacey Lane: Career Coach | Transition & Career Strategist | Personal Brand Specialist

I help individuals with unique backgrounds find their perfect fit and effectively market themselves so they find work that is as interesting as they are.

Contact me to get started!