Margie Barkley: Why Realistic Goals Are Important [EBOOK]

Do you need some help defining realistic goals for your agency or social media team? In a recent Agorapulse Webinar, goal-setting experts Debra Eckerling Katie Robbert and Troy Sandidge shared their years of marketing experience. We’ve created a goal-setting PDF worksheet for you based on the wealth of information.

Set Goals

There are many different types of goal-setting frameworks.

You may be overwhelmed by the hundreds of goal-setting theories, models and frameworks that you find when you Google “How to Set Goals”.

You can choose from BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious goals), Locke and Latham’s five principles or OKRs.

Each framework has its own tested and proven rationale. There are far too many for this book to cover them all in detail.

The framework for setting goals that is most familiar to us, however, is the SMART goal. This method requires that goals be:

SpecificMeasurableAchievableRealisticTimely

We’ve probably all heard or used the SMART goals framework. The SMART goals framework has been around for more than 40 years, and it is still ranked as the top method for setting your goals.

Simple but effective.

Hot tip: The article below is a great place to begin for information on SMART goals.

You may still need help setting your goals if you choose this method. There are commonalities in all frameworks, no matter what the goal.

This focus on “specificity” can be applied across all frameworks for goal-setting.

“Be as precise as you can.” More specific is better. Specificity is key to measuring your progress. You might lose your hope if you don’t know how to measure your progress towards your goals.

Deb Eckerling believes that goal setting starts before you decide on the framework to use.

“You need to first know where you are going. You need to consider where you are right now but also your future. What would you like your biography to say about yourself in one year, two, three, or five years?

Debra Eckerling: “Once your location and destination are known, you can then determine your mission.”

Eckerling has it 100% right.

The biggest obstacle to overcome when setting goals is deciding on your main goal or goals.

Get your free Goal Setting Worksheet PDF now!

What to choose as your mission or missions?

“I find that direct journaling is very effective. Direct journaling is a 15-minute burst of babbling that answers specific questions, such as: What are you looking for in life? What do you hope to achieve in the next five years? These are deep questions.

Then, “Get all your thoughts off your mind and onto the paper.” You can do this in three, four or five 15 minute sessions. But don’t look at it! You can’t look at it until your mind is empty. Go back and look for common themes. This will help you to find your mission and direction.” (Debra Eckerling).

Decide on your mission. You might want to start a new job, get promoted at work or maintain a healthy work/life balance. After you’ve decided on a mission, you can begin to think about the specific goals that you will need to achieve it.

How to set goals to achieve your desired outcome

“So, you’ve determined your mission. You have a general idea of what you’re looking for and where you are going. It’s time to explore and research your options” (Debra Eckerling).

Now is the time to brainstorm.

Write down all the information that is relevant to your mission and to the goals that you have set for yourself.

Divide your goals into smaller ones to help you reach your goal.

All of it comes back to your mission. How will all these goals support your main purpose? It’s a good idea to throw everything out. You can then categorize your ideas and ensure that there is a good balance between easy and difficult stuff. This dream is really possible!” (Debra Eckerling).

Sandidge, like Erling, suggests that you take time to figure out what your goals are at the start of your journey.

He believes that you should also consider the possible consequences of achieving your goals. It’s not as easy as you think.

We tend to rush into things and do everything we have listed. We need to ask ourselves: Are we mentally and physically prepared for the goal we are aiming to achieve? Can I achieve this goal realistically? What’s required? What sacrifices will I have to make? Do I have time? Can I find the time? What have I not considered?

You can write down your goals, but how realistic are they?

We’re guilty of living our own world. What we think and what it is actually are two different things. We don’t like to face the truth. (Troy Sandidge).

Why you need to be realistic about your goals

It is common advice to work toward our goals every day. Life isn’t linear. There are many peaks, and there are also many troughs.

We have time, space and the mental capacity to achieve our goals and the world in a few weeks.

What about other weeks? We don’t.

“You can think of your goals every single day, I think it’s human.” When you want to set yourself up for success you need to take a look at your whole life. 15 minutes per day might seem easy. You might say, “I can do 15 mins a day.” But guess what? It’s not always possible to do everything you want. You will miss one or two days. If you want to add that extra time, 15 minutes from Sunday will become an hour on Wednesday. If you didn’t get 15 minutes on Sunday you won’t be able to have an hour on Wednesday.”

Failure is worse than simply not having enough time or capacity. Don’t put yourself under excessive time pressure or unrealistic deadlines.

Plan, prioritise, and commit physically to what you are able to do. Schedule the time in your calendar. Do it when the time comes!

Debra Eckerling: “At the start of the week, when you are prioritizing the tasks you have to do, look at your calendar to see how much time you realistically can dedicate to them. Only sign up for things you can commit to.”

Do not over-commit or over-promise. You only have one hour per week.

Entrepreneurs who want to start something new often have only an hour per week to devote to their passion projects, side hustles or things that can change their lives. It’s all they often have. But that’s okay.” (Debra Eckerling).

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