A goal without a plan is just a wish. We are all guilty of setting big goals for things we want to achieve, and then not following through with our actions. And let’s not forget the dreaded New year’s resolutions! How many of those have you set and have actually achieved?
We are now halfway through the year, which makes it an excellent time for a mid-year goal review. Use this time to reflect back on the first half of the year and make adjustments to your goals for the remainder of the year. You may be on track and if so, congratulations! You may be off track and that is an opportunity to pivot and take actions that will build momentum to reach your goals. You also may realize that the goals that you set at the beginning of the year are no longer relevant, and it is time to set some new goals.
Here are 5 factors to consider as you go through your mid-year review:
1. Key Accomplishments
What were all the great things you did the past six months, big or small? What goals did you achieve and what are you most proud of accomplishing? It is important to celebrate your wins, even the small ones. Successful years are first built upon successful days, so recognizing the key accomplishments you made the first half of the year can guide you to making decisions to continue the path you are on or make adjustments.
2. Developing Relationships
What new relationships did you develop? What relationships did you strengthen and what relationships need more attention? Relationship building is an important factor with achieving your goals. Through networking, you may build relationships that take your business to a different level. These may be the individuals that are your biggest referral source or a peer you can collaborate with.
3. Learning
What did you learn the past six months, both personally and professionally? As an entrepreneur, you are always learning. This not only includes knowledge about your industry and business, but about yourself. Being an entrepreneur is one of the greatest personal development opportunities, where you will identify your weaknesses and define your values.
4. Mistakes
What mistakes did you make? What mistakes could you have avoided and what mistakes gave you opportunities to learn and grow? Mistakes are great tools to learn from and believe it or not, the more mistakes the better! This shows that you are willing to take risks and step out of your comfort zone. The key with mistakes is to identify what you learned and then take action to do things differently next time.
5. Time Management
How well did you manage your time? Did you focus your time on important things or time wasters? Where were you the most and least productive? Time is a resource that all of us have equal playing ground with. We all have the same amount of hours in a day, it is a matter of how we utilize that time so we are the most productive and efficient. As you go through your mid year review, identify the areas where you need help with your time management.
You may not have the proper systems in place to keep you on track. It is natural as an entrepreneur to go off track, because most likely, you have many ideas you want to implement or are juggling many different clients and projects at once. Having a system in place is like having guardrails, so you don’t end up sabotaging yourself.
We use 17hats as our system to help us with time management. We love the ability to start our day at our Dashboard to see what tasks need to be done and emails need to be sent. We utilize templates for emails we send on a regular basis to save time, so we can focus on other areas of our business. Having a system helps us stay organized with our communications and keeps us on track with our to do lists.
As an entrepreneur, you will be learning, growing, adjusting, and re-adjusting your business goals. This is why doing a mid-year review is so important and you must be flexible and nimble with your goal setting.
Take some time to reflect on the first half of the year, do your mid-year review and then use our tips to help you plan out the remainder of the year. Why not make this year the best one of your life?
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