With the new year upon us, you’re probably getting this a lot: “what’s your new year’s resolution?” It can be a tough question to tackle. And sometimes, you don’t need one big resolution that piles on the pressure – instead, you can set small achievable goals throughout the year. In the workplace, this strategy is especially useful. Here are some goal setting tips for business in 2024.
Moving forward starts with looking back. Take some time to reflect on the previous year and identify your challenges and successes. Make a list of the tasks you achieved and the obstacles you overcame – even the small things – and let that pride propel you into the new year. You’ll feel more confident remembering all you’ve achieved so far, and you’ll build a stronger idea of where to go next.
Also, bring an open mind to the new year. Keep doing what works well for you, but don’t be afraid to try new things. With the new year often comes launches of new tools that could benefit your business, and it’s always helpful to research your options.
For instance, Software for Hardware just introduced a dashboard to its project management software that makes it easy to see real-time data about your business. Door, frame, and hardware distributors can see an increase in productivity with tools like this.
At the very least, research is important to stay updated on current trends in the industry. Understanding emerging innovations in products and practices will make your goal setting as informed as possible.
When it comes to goals, it’s helpful to make them SMART. The SMART model was first proposed by George T. Doran and refers to setting goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based.
Indeed discusses how to set SMART goals, advising to write down exactly what you want to accomplish, why it matters, and the actions you will take to accomplish it. You should also research and track the resources and time needed to reach the goal. These will keep you from setting vague goals that are too abstract and ambitious to achieve real results.
Atlassian further explains the benefits of SMART goals: “this approach eliminates generalities… sets a clear timeline, and makes it easier to track progress.” It’s a useful approach to consider when you need help organizing your thoughts and turning lofty ideas into first steps.
After all, a goal should not be the destination, but one step on the journey. Goals are the individual blocks placed on each other to construct a building. Thinking in small chunks makes them much less intimidating to tackle. And slowly, they’ll add up into big changes.
Thinking smaller also makes it easier to track your progress. You can see at what steps you’re succeeding and where you need to adjust your strategy.
And remember: you aren’t on this journey alone! It’s easy to get wrapped up in our individual ideas, desires, and strategies for the new year, but your goals will often be intertwined with other people’s. So it’s important to collaborate and communicate with those people.
Talk to employees and team members to relay business hopes and delegate tasks. Or share your goals with someone just to keep each other mutually accountable; sometimes, working on a goal alongside a friend can give you greater focus and motivation.
Make sure to recharge outside of work, too. Forbes emphasizes the value of securing time for physical and mental strength, saying to “plan for family events to participate in, friends’ reunions or routine outings to go to, winter holidays, summer holidays, regular ‘me time.’” Spending time doing things you love, with people you love, keeps you from getting too bogged down and burnt out in your professional goals.
The start of a New Year can pile on the pressure for many people, especially when you’re dreaming up grand resolutions for your business. But taking time to reflect, research trends, plan in small steps, discuss with others, and recharge outside of work can help you sustainably set and meet goals. We hope these tips help you out, and we wish you a wonderful 2024!
Anna Litofsky, Marketing Coordinator, Software For Hardware, Atlanta, GA.
