5 Great Ways To Refresh Your Business Goals

by Alex B. Magazine Editor & Digital Marketer

With the New Year buzz now dying down, many of us may find that our motivation wanes.

The exciting goals you worked hard to properly set at the turn of the year may have become a struggle by now — or even been abandoned altogether. But it is not too late to bring them back!

The end of Winter or the beginning of Spring is a great time to return to your goals with fresh eyes.

The process of reassessing and adapting your goals involves celebrating how far you have come, as well as assessing realistically where you could improve. This is not about feeling guilty or inadequate for getting off track. It is about setting goals that genuinely excite and feel meaningful to you, while releasing the ones that don’t.

Below, we explore five simple but effective ways to approach this process and reassess your ambitions. That way, you can set goals that are meaningful, positive, and genuinely align with your business.

1. Visualise

Before beginning, start by clearly visualising what you want for you and your business. Get as much clarity as you can, while also keeping things flexible with room to adapt.

For example, do you have a particular income in mind, or do you want more time and flexibility? Do you have a particular client or contract you wish to secure, or an area of your business you would like to improve — such as accounting or advertising?

List your goals and see how well they align with the original goals you set for the New Year, or how you are currently running your business. You will clearly see where you need to make adjustments, and whether your initial goals are still a good fit.

2. Make Goals Tangible

Studies have shown that many people fail in their goals because they do not make them tangible enough. Tangible goals are measurable and have a clear outcome.

While some goals are necessarily more general or conceptual, there may still be ways to make them measurable. For example, if a particular goal does not have a hard deadline, you could set one of your own. Then, if you meet it, ensure that you mark the occasion and celebrate! Positive reinforcement can be a key part of maintaining energy and motivation when it comes to your goal.

When setting deadlines, however, it is important to ensure that you do not harm your motivation further by missing them. There are many tips and tricks to ensure you never miss a deadline — so be sure to research!

Alternatively, consider seeking certification, accreditation, or another qualification that could boost your business. This is a tangible goal to work towards and you will also have something to show for it at the end.

Any way that you can make your goal more tangible is a positive step towards achieving it.

3. Consult An Expert

Once you have identified your key goals and ambitions, a great way to maintain motivation is to seek the advice of an expert.

Perhaps you want to increase traffic to your website or overhaul your advertising, for example. In this case, hiring a professional in SEO or social media could be a great choice.

Being a successful business owner does not mean that you have to do everything yourself. Seeking expert assistance in key areas of your business can be a great way to achieve the growth you deserve.

4. Refresh And Recreate

As time passes, the goals we have set can naturally become less relevant or exciting through no fault of our own. When this happens, it is time to get ruthless!

It is more important to remain honest and adaptable than to mindlessly pursue goals that are no longer meaningful to you.

Refreshing your goals does not have to mean adding new ones. It can be just as effective to get rid of the goals that are no longer working. Be honest, get clear, and you may feel like a weight has lifted!

5. Think In Timeframes

When setting meaningful goals, a great way to improve and refresh them is to think in terms of time frames: long term, medium term, and short term.

You may find that you have set too many goals for the short term, for example, and not enough that address your long term ambitions. Alternatively, you may be thinking about the far future, without enough focus on the present.

Assess the time frame of your goals and aim for a bit of balance across the time frames. Now is when to consider how to achieve them in manageable steps, making further progress on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.