A 6-Day Guide to Goal Setting for the Year 2024

As we bid goodbye to our beautiful 2023, we are going to open a new chapter in our life, and that is the NEW YEAR 2024. All of us are vibing with excitement and anticipation, not to miss, motivation to manifest the NEW US.?

While all that is appreciated, there is one thing that you should not miss doing amidst your celebrations.??

SETTING GOALS FOR 2024!

This topic needs no stress as we all know why is it important to have a goal. But we are supposed to push you one more time, so just read the below one time,?

Once you set a goal you know your purpose, once your life has a purpose it becomes your motivation, and once you are motivated, you will put in the hard work and achieve a fulfilling life. And to all those higher levels of you, the base level action is to set your goals.??

As hefty as it sounds, it is not that tough to set a goal but there is a way to set goals for maximum outcome. In this guide, we are going to take you through the 6-day step-by-step process of setting realistic and achievable goals.?

How to Follow this Guide?

1. Start this when you feel ready.
2. Make sure you are grounded while doing this, setting goals on bad or best days usually will not work, as you might be too negative or too motivated which will end up in setting unmotivating or unrealistic goals.
3. Sit in a comfortable place with no distractions.
4. Try to meditate before starting the process as it makes your mind calmer and clearer.
5. Play calming instrumental music as it will positively enhance your state of mind.???
6. You will need the following things:

• A rough notebook
• A goal notebook or planner (where the real work needs to be done)
• Pen (basic or different colors based on your preference)
• Any stickers or markers (completely optional)
• Some printed pictures for the vision board
• Glue to stick pictures

Day 1: Review and Reflect on 2023

The first crucial step in our journey of intentional career development is to look back and reflect on the chapters of the past year 2023. By doing this, you will know how you are in your career currently, being aware of which is the most important step in the goal-setting process.?

Steps to Follow:

1. Take your Rough Notebook and answer the following questions.?
2. Do not be afraid of any judgments, remember to have a great partner or have no partner at all. Do not do this with someone who will judge you or demotivate you.
3. Do not rush through the process. Take your time!?

• What have been my achievements or goals have I managed to reach so far?
• What am I proud of myself?
• How achieving these goals positively impact my life in the long term?
• What are the skills I learned this year?
• How these skills will positively impact my career journey?
• What are the goals that I have not achieved this year?
• Why these goals are not achieved?
• What were my biggest challenges/struggles this year?
• How did I overcome these challenges/struggles?
• What were my biggest distractions?
• How do I minimize or eliminate these distractions?
• What are the 3 things that I’m grateful for?
• What were my 3 biggest lessons from the year?
• Overall, How do I feel about the progress made this year?
• What are the strategies that worked for me?
• What are the strategies that did not work for me?
• What should I do differently next year that will help me to achieve more goals in the next year?

Prompt Credits: Notes by Thalia

Once you answer all the above questions, go through without any judgments. You will get some clarity about yourself and how the year 2023 went.

Day 2: Understand what you need in 2024

Now you know in-depth about how the past year went by and now it’s time to find what you want to do in the new year.?

Steps to Follow:

Answer the following questions in your rough notebook.

• What do I value most in life??
• What have been my most rewarding, satisfying, or fulfilling moments?
• Where do I want to be this time next year? What do I want to achieve?
• What do I specifically want to achieve in the next year?
• What is the why behind my goals? What will achieving my goals give me?
• What excites me the most about reaching my goals?
• How will achieving my goals positively impact other areas of my life?
• Out of 10, how satisfied will I feel once I reach this goal?
• What can get in the way of me reaching my goals?
• What can I do to overcome these potential obstacles or challenges?
• What steps can I take today to move closer to my goals?
• What skills, knowledge, or tools do I need to achieve my goals? How can I go about getting this?
• What habits or routines can I establish to support my goals? (daily and weekly practices)
• How can I stay motivated and committed to working towards my goals?

Prompt Credits: Notes by Thalia

After answering these questions, you will be able to understand what you are expecting yourself to achieve in the next year. These need not be your end goal, they can be superficial and vague which needs some chiseling to transform into your new year goal. Some of these may need some research, so do it!

Day 3: Set Goals for 2024

Once you have written down everything in your rough notebook, it’s time to do the actual goal-setting. But before that, there are a few things you need to learn about SMART goals.?

The SMART goal-setting process is a strategic framework designed to enhance the effectiveness of goal-setting by ensuring goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.?

Let's delve into each component of SMART goals:

• Specific:A specific goal clearly defines what you want to achieve. Instead of setting a vague goal like "improve career," make it specific, such as "attain a leadership role in digital marketing within the next 12 months." The more specific the goal, the easier it is to understand and work towards.
• Measurable:Goals should be quantifiable to track progress effectively. Define concrete criteria to measure success. For example, if your goal is to enhance your professional network, specify a measurable target, such as "connect with at least five industry professionals per month."
• Achievable:An achievable goal is realistic and attainable given your skills, resources, and timeframe. Setting overly ambitious goals can lead to frustration while setting goals that are too easy might not push you to your full potential. Strive for a balance that challenges you without overwhelming you.
• Relevant:A relevant goal aligns with your overall objectives and is meaningful to your professional development. Consider whether the goal is worthwhile and if it contributes to your long-term aspirations. If the goal is not relevant, it may be worth reevaluating or modifying.
• Time-bound:Set a clear timeframe for achieving your goal. A time-bound goal creates a sense of urgency and helps you stay focused. Instead of a vague deadline like "someday," establish a specific timeframe such as "increase monthly sales by 15% within the next six months."

We hope you understood about SMART goals and now it's time to set them up!

Steps to Follow:

1. Select a minimum of one to a maximum of five goals from your journal output.
2. Ensure your goal aligns with your career objectives and is relevant to your personal or professional growth.?
3. Refine your goal to be as specific as possible. With numbers it is great!
4. Establish measurable criteria to track progress.
5. Evaluate whether your goal is realistic and achievable within the given constraints. Consider your skills, resources, and potential obstacles.
6. Assign a specific timeframe for goal completion. This creates a sense of urgency and provides a clear deadline for evaluation.
7. Write it down in your main goals notebook or planner.?

For your clear understanding, let’s work with an example,

Goal: Secure a Senior Digital Marketing Manager position within the next 12 months.

Day 4: Set Why and Actionable Steps for Each Goal

Setting a why and defining actionable steps are crucial components of the goal-setting process because they provide clarity, motivation, and a practical roadmap for achieving your objectives.

Here’s why setting “Why” is important:

• Understanding the purpose behind your goal fuels motivation, providing a compelling reason to stay committed and persevere through challenges.
• A strong "why" taps into intrinsic motivation, connecting your goal to personal values and long-term aspirations for a more sustainable commitment.
• Your "why" serves as a source of resilience, helping you push through difficulties and setbacks by reminding you of the purpose and significance of your goal.
• Knowing your "why" guides decision-making, ensuring that choices align with your values and contribute to your long-term objectives.
• Establishing a "why" creates an emotional connection to your goal, making it more meaningful and impactful in your life.

Here’s why defining “Actionable steps” is very important:

• Breaking down the goal into actionable steps provides clarity on specific tasks, offering a clear direction for achieving the objective.
• Actionable steps make the goal more manageable, overcoming feelings of overwhelm by focusing on one task at a time.
• Clearly defined steps allow for progress tracking, offering a sense of accomplishment and reinforcing commitment as you complete smaller tasks.
• Actionable steps allow you to adapt your approach based on changing circumstances without losing sight of the ultimate goal.
• Breaking the goal into actionable steps contributes to effective time management, helping you allocate time and resources efficiently for increased productivity.

Steps to Follow:

1. Sit down and think “why” you need to achieve a goal.
2. Research and write down some steps that will help you achieve that goal.

Let’s look into our example:

Goal:?

Secure a Senior Digital Marketing Manager position within the next 12 months.

Why:

Securing a Senior Digital Marketing Manager position within the next 12 months is pivotal for advancing my career, gaining leadership experience, and directly impacting business results, fostering personal and professional fulfillment.

Actionable Steps:

1. Conduct a skills assessment and develop a targeted professional development plan.
2. Network actively, seeking mentorship from Senior Digital Marketing Managers.
3. Update resume and LinkedIn profile to reflect relevant achievements.
4. Apply to targeted positions aligned with growth opportunities.
5. Enhance digital marketing portfolio with impactful case studies and strategic projects.

Day 5: Set Habits and Routines

Habits and Routines need no hype anymore, anybody who has followed it will know how it changes your career and lifestyle for the better.?

Why Habits are very important:

Your brain has to take care of a million things every single day, from optimizing your bodily functions to learning and working. One of the functions that seem like work to the brain and also to you is decision-making. It takes energy to decide whether to do something or not.?

For example, “Should I wake up at 5 a.m. the next day?”?

It is a very simple question for you but for your brain it is a decision-making function. And your brain will say Yes or No, as per its wish too! It is indeed a bad master. If you make it a habit, you do not have to ask about this simple thing every single day. As you practice it becomes a part of you and you do not have to push or motivate yourself for smaller acts. Instead, use that energy spent on small-decision making on something else.?

In addition to saving energy, some good habits will greatly influence on your career and personal development process.?

Why Routines are very important:

A routine is a series of habits done in order.?

For example, getting up at 5 a.m., brushing your teeth, having a shower, drinking coffee, jogging, and eating breakfast might be the routine you follow every morning.?

A routine again saves time and energy in making small decisions. And also has got huge positive impact on your personal life and career.?

Steps to Follow:

1. Choose a few habits that will positively impact your life and career. Do dive into some research and select habits that will help you to align with your goals too.
2. Make a habit or routine tracker. For habit tracking, you can use an app or a DIY physical tracker on your goals notebook. You will find many templates on Google for reference. For routine setting and tracking, the best tool will be Google Calendar. Many YouTube videos are available to help you on how to use Google Calendar for routines.?
3. Start incorporating one habit a month, focus on consistency and once you nail that one habit in the first month, add one more habit and likewise, you will be able to create and practice a routine.
4. Initially, it will be tough, but hang on, and the benefits will take you to the next level.

Pro Tip: Try not to miss out on a habit for more than two days. If you are unable to do it in two days, you must do it on the third, or else your brain will lose its memory.?

For Example,

For this goal, “Secure a Senior Digital Marketing Manager position within the next 12 months.” the following habits will work well.

• Allocate 30 minutes every day for skill development.
• Spend 30 minutes every day on LinkedIn to build a professional network.
• Take 10 minutes to review your tasks for the day.
• Take 5 minutes every morning to meditate.
• Do a 20-minute exercise routine every day.??
• Engage in a short mindfulness or relaxation exercise for 15 minutes before sleep.

All the above-mentioned habits will act as a support to achieve the mentioned goal and it will also keep you physically and mentally healthy.?

Day 6: Set Vision Board

A vision board helps you reach your goals by creating a visual collage of things you want to achieve. It's like making a picture of your dreams. When you look at it often, it keeps you focused on what you want, makes you feel motivated, and reminds you why your goals matter. It's like having a friendly guide that keeps you on the right path, helping turn your dreams into reality.

Steps to Follow:

1. Find some Images depicting your future self, which is how you wish to be at the end of 2024 after achieving all your goals.
2. Collect relevant pictures. (Pinterest and Google have great images)
3. Print those out on an a4 sheet.?
4. Cut them and paste them on your planner next to your goal-setting page.?
5. If you are good at sketching, then by all means.

For example,?

For this goal, “Secure a Senior Digital Marketing Manager position within the next 12 months.” - An image of a person styled professionally leading a few people would be an ideal visual depiction.

A free template for reference: https://cutt.ly/fwHwOOEi??

Conclusion

We hope that you found this helpful and that you are reading this conclusion with great clarity on what to achieve in 2024 and how to set goals and achieve them with the help of a vision board, habits, and routines. Not to forget, it is just a starting point, the real process starts when you are acting upon all these goals without fail.?

We spoke too much about 2024 but not this,

Happy New Year! FutureCaptains wishes that 2024 is a year of clarity, success, and wellness for you.?

Thank you,

Team FutureCaptains.