Let’s talk goal setting!! We mean real, actual, map it out goal setting. We’re going to let you in on a little secret here – introverts are great at goal setting.

BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) are important. They set your compass in the right direction. But they can sometimes also lack focus and can fail to help you figure out how to reach your true north. Let’s talk specifics.

Lists, Lists, Lists

Start off by listing your goals. Yes, make an actual list. Put it on paper. But why paper you ask? There is something about handwriting things that makes them stick in your brain. And in an exercise like this, it reinforces what is actually important to you in your life. If you could look into the brains of many introverts, it would look a lot like a web browser with about a billion tabs open. This exercise will help close some of those tabs by telling you that certain things running through your brain really have little added value when you’re going after something big in your life.

Think of different areas of your life and make those into headings–business, workplace, home, health, family, etc.  Write down specific goals within those headings.

Circle the top three which are currently the most important to you. If these are big goals, you can break them down into bite sized pieces. Let’s start with one. Pick one!!! When do you need to have this goal accomplished by? How many steps do you need to take to get to the end goal? You may not know exactly how many steps you need, but you can work backwards if you find that helpful.

In the Books

Imagine climbing up a massive flight of stairs.  Are you going to jump right to the top or do you need to take it a step at a time?  Yes, one step at a time.  So, let’s break up one of your big goals. What is on each step of your goal staircase? Is this a weekly step? A daily step? Break this down into workable parts (some people call this chunking).  Just write down everything you will need to do to complete this goal. Things to include in your steps may be getting supplies, speaking with teammates or experts in the area, reading a book on how others have succeeded in this area, and of course doing. Doing is the thing. Put these chunks in order. Now put this into your day planner / calendar.

Now that you see these steps officially placed into your life, let’s think about expectations. For example, if I want to improve my arm strength, and I schedule in picking up a three-pound weight once a week am I going to expect to reach my goal? “But I’m putting in time every week to lift those three pounds!!” Sure I am, but what is truly required to reach my goal?  The same goes for any business goal you are reaching for. If I am only willing to put in one or two days towards my business am I going to hit the same goals as I would if I put in 5 days of effort? How much time you put into your goals each week will be determined by the timelines you have set for yourself.

Once you decide that these steps are a non-negotiable part of your day, you will be on your way towards that goal you have set. So take yourself seriously, if those goals are worth reaching for, you’ll get up off the couch and head for it! You deserve success.