Do you have goals? Like written, multiple timeframe, specific goals?

[heatherdeg]

How many of you have goals?  Like written for different timeframes (this year, 5 years, 10 years, etc.)?  And if you have them, where do you keep them?

I'm finding that when we had goals written out (we had quarterly for the current year, then for the following year, then 5 year intervals to 25 years) all the decisions really made themselves: either they contributed to the goals or they didn't.  I'm having a really hard time without them.

Relocation, inheritance money, change in family circumstances and some other things have made some of our goals either unattainable, no longer desirable, just plain behind schedule, etc.  So my goal list is no longer really applicable and I think we need to sit down and go through them again.

And once I do that, I need to figure out where to put them.  For whatever reason, the fridge worked in our old house.  I'm finding that since we relocated, we just don't live the same way and the fridge isn't "in my face" enough all day.

Thoughts?

[EmsMom]

I have kept lists of my goals for a long time.  It is just me and my kids so I keep my goals in a personal notebook in One Note on my computer.  I have them divided up for financial, professional, personal, etc.  I check them virtually every day.  So, yeah, I am progressing towards them.  Some I drop eventually or modify.  But mostly I plug along.  If I go too long without hitting a goal or adding new goals I get kind of restless, though.  I need to keep several more easily obtainable goals on my list.  If I have a really big goal such as saving for a house down payment ($40,000!), I really, really, really need to break that down into smaller goals.

[heatherdeg]

Hmmm... that is a GOOD idea to look at the list every day.  It keeps it fresh in your head and it's a conscious reminder vs. a passive reminder that hanging on the fridge is.  I like that.  I've been trying to do that with my vision board, too; so it makes sense to do it with the goals.

Our longer term goals ARE usually broken down into smaller ones.  So we have a long-term goal of retirement by X age or traveling by X year, but we have other goals in the shorter term that contribute to financing those longer-term goals.  I can't imagine it any other way.  We also follow the SMART goal methodology.  Each one needs to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound.  I see so many people set goals that don't follow these "rules" and then feel that their goal list is of no help to them.

[EmsMom]

I think I tend to follow more of the SMAR plan.  I cannot do time-bound goals!!.  It absolutely sets me up to put so much pressure on myself I give up.  So I just never, ever do time-bound, although I do have certain looser times, like the goals I want to hit this year.  I also tend to set goals that are often rather unrealistic, at least they seem so.  But once I put then on my goal list, I tend to achieve them anyway.  For example, a PhD is on my list.  That seems fairly unrealistic for a 49 year old single mother to two.  But I am finishing up my master's with honors and that seemed unrealistic when I put that on my list.   Sometimes my deepest, most resonant goals, the ones that bring me the most joy in pursuing, are the ones that seemed like a pipe dream. 

Originally Posted by heatherdeg 

Hmmm... that is a GOOD idea to look at the list every day.  It keeps it fresh in your head and it's a conscious reminder vs. a passive reminder that hanging on the fridge is.  I like that.  I've been trying to do that with my vision board, too; so it makes sense to do it with the goals.

Our longer term goals ARE usually broken down into smaller ones.  So we have a long-term goal of retirement by X age or traveling by X year, but we have other goals in the shorter term that contribute to financing those longer-term goals.  I can't imagine it any other way.  We also follow the SMART goal methodology.  Each one needs to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound.  I see so many people set goals that don't follow these "rules" and then feel that their goal list is of no help to them.