How I stopped procrastinating

You may have heard that I'm running a 2023 goals creation programme in December and January with my great coaching buddy, Karen Murray . What makes me such an expert, you might ask (you don't need to ask this about Karen, she's most definitely an expert)... Well, this week, I wanted to share what I've learned about goals over the last few years through my own personal journey.

Set goals? Nah, I don't think so...

Before training as a coach and starting my own business, I was a bit allergic to goals. I didn't see the point of them. Sure, I'd set the odd New Year's Resolution if I felt like it but ... I never hit them. I was in good company, as apparently only 50% of us set them and, of that 50%, less than 10% achieve them.

I had a good life, a good job, earned a good salary, was healthy and content. Who needs goals? I was perfectly happy without them, thank you very much.

But then ...

But then, I started my own business and it was up to me to generate sales, delight my customers and keep myself motivated to do all that marketing stuff (yikes!) and admin stuff (*yawn*). Oh, hello procrastination!

See, I was fine when someone else was setting goals for the business and all my personal goals were aligned to that. I had to do them. I was accountable to other people. But, on my own, I lacked a sense of direction.

Hmm ... maybe I should give this goal-setting thing a go.

Experiments in goal-setting

I have to admit that my first few attempts at setting goals were not overly successful. The truth is that I didn't really have a methodology to follow so I tried reading books, listening to podcasts and TED talks and taking the SMART goals framework that I'd learned back on my CIPD training in the '90s...

Yeah, I didn't really achieve any of the goals that I'd set myself and quickly got bored of setting them.

The first time I did my Strengths Profile, all becamse clear. I saw it all laid out in front of me. I am a RUBBISH planner, I don't like organising and I'm WAY too creative to be pinned down by anything as restrictive as a goal.

Oh well, I'll just keep bumbling along. Which I did. Until the day when I realised that I had something else going on inside me. Something akin to ambition, drive, motivation ... And that I desperately needed to do something with it.

Feeling my way

Being a rubbish planner, I was unlikely to be able to come up with my own goal-setting system. So, I clearly needed to borrow someone else's system.

I happened upon Michael Hyatt's Full Focus Planner and it was everything I wanted in a system. It LOOKED REALLY BEAUTIFUL. Yes, that's right. I didn't even examine the system (which is not a bad system by the way). The planners were aesthetically pleasing and I was IN.

I used this system for a number of years (I still love the planners) and even recommended it to my clients. The system uses a SMARTER acronym for goal setting and it works ... to a degree. BUT, the problem with all these systems is that they are "one size fits all" and that's not going to work for everyone.

What I've learned about goal setting

I've learned A LOT about goal setting from working with a rich variety of clients and experimenting myself.

For me personally, I really like to have goals. But they have to feel light and not restrictive. And they have to be linked to my identity - my strengths, my values, what I want from life. They have to feel like they're moving me forwards without feeling arduous.

For my clients? Well anything goes. The sort of goals people set and how likely they are to achieve them varies greatly from person to person.

And that's why most systems fail. Because we're all different and we need a system that acknowledges our differences and releases us to set the kind of goals that will work for us as individuals.

A New Way

And that's why I've co-created a new goal-setting framework with my brilliant business coach and friend, Karen Murray. It's a framework that works with the grain of who you are in all your brilliance and awkwardness.

The framework is called GRACE and it's a liberating system of goal-setting that truly serves you AND enables you to achieve what you want - to keep moving forward, developing, exploring ...

And Karen, my co-creator, really knows what she's talking about when it comes to goal-setting. In fact, it was her business coaching a few years back, that persuaded me that goal-setting could be helpful for me (and not just for my clients).

"Setting goals and having a plan will set you free to be even more creative, Ali" she wisely told me. And she was right!

What's not to love?

If you'd like to join us in our goal-setting masterclasses in December and January (4 x 1 hour workshops), then we'd love to have you! If you sign up using this?link, you will also benefit from a 30 minute 121 coaching session with me to ensure that you have your 2023 goals?perfect.

Can't wait for you to join us!

All the best for a great week ahead, Ali