Write it down-or it's just a dream

When my boss did a series of town hall meetings for associates last week, he closed his presentation by asking the audience what they were doing to challenge themselves. A show of hands went up when he asked: do you have goals? But that number dropped when he asked: are they written down?

He made a great point, saying that goals written down were far more powerful than those that might be bouncing around in your head. Why? Well, I can speak for myself when I say that when I write it down, I also tend to start thinking through a plan to make it happen.

He and I are not alone in believing that taking that one key step on putting pen to paper can make a difference. Other advice from experts: make those goals measurable, set benchmarks, and celebrate successes. And remember, a goal doesn't have to be complex; his goal was setting aside one hour each week to hunt up technology-specific YouTube videos in order to stay fresh on our industry. Simple as an appointment in Outlook and little search time online.

If you're looking for help with meeting goals, check out Tiny Habits, a fabulous book on how little changes yield big results. (Or watch author BJ Fogg talk about it here). So, what are your goals?