GO FOR THE GOAL HOW TO ACHIEVE YOUR CAREER GOALS IN 2022 By Jeweliana Curtis
New year, new you! As you begin mapping out your goals for the new year, you may be adding a few career goals to your list. Whether you are working towards a promotion or are looking to venture out on your own in 2022, we are here to help! Joy Lutz, CPA and Certified Tax Coach at Aligned CPA, weighs in on her favorite methods for setting goals, all while providing helpful tips for sticking to your goals and avoiding the dreaded burnout. Read on to hear Joy’s take on why setting goals is important and how you can effectively accomplish your goals from this moment forward. “I’m a big believer in goal-setting simply because I believe that if you do not have something you are working towards, you are aimlessly going with the flow,” Joy explains. “That may sound good, but that really just means that you are likely not going to reach those long-term goals.” One of Joy’s biggest tips for planning goals is to break down your yearly goals into 90 day increments. This process, also known as the 90-Day Year, enables you to focus on needlemoving tasks for a short period of time. This leaves little room for procrastination, as you have goals to accomplish in a short period of time that you must work on weekly or even daily. Though it is important to have big dreams and audacious goals, it is even more important to break those goals down into actionable steps that you can track and accomplish. This method creates a sense of urgency to keep you focused, all while chipping away at your big, lofty goals for the year. For instance, if your goal is to build a six-figure business, rather than being overwhelmed at the thought of starting from zero, begin to reverse-engineer that goal. Break your year down to quarters and set goals for each quarter that will help you accomplish your long-term goal. This will look different to each person, but some great questions to ask yourself may be: How many new clients do I need to sign on to accomplish this income goal? What do my rates need to look like? How will I get those new clients? These questions will help you plan out your next 90 8 |
FamilyMagazine
days, which in turn will impact your yearly goal. “Having that 90-Day Year mentality really keeps your goals fresh so that you know what you can do now, versus trying to catch up on tasks at the end of the year,” Joy explains. “Once you see the traction with this method, before you know it, you may surpass that original goal you had. It’s all about constantly taking those actionable steps and tracking that goal consistently.”
Joy Lutz, CPA Certified Tax Coach Aligned CPA
Another one of Joy’s greatest tips when setting goals is to stay committed and be disciplined. Time-blocking is a great tool for this. Begin by committing a certain amount of time each week to working on your goals. This may be two hours per week, and you may choose to set aside time on a Friday afternoon to work on them. Once you have made your decision, block off that time on your calendar and protect it at all costs. If there is a blank spot on your calendar, it can be easy to fill it with work or even slip out of the office early rather than work on your goals. Joy suggests combatting this by blocking off time now and committing to it no matter what. “Commitment is huge with goals, and so is discipline. You have to stay committed and disciplined in taking that action,” Joy says. “As entrepreneurs, it can be easy to get caught up working in your business rather than working on your business. If you have these yearly goals, you’re going to be tempted to wait until the end of the year to work on them, or wait until you have more time… But honestly, there’s never going to be a perfect time. I combat this by placing goals on my calendar and guarding that time like it is sacred!” Creating routines around your goals can also be helpful, so Joy recommends keeping this time on your calendar consistent as much as possible. If you know that you always work on your goals on a certain day, it can be easier to stay on track and stay focused during that time. Additionally, having strong accountability in your life is important. Joy recommends having a mentor or accountability partner to meet with on a regular basis. This is another great action to add to your calendar now to ensure you make time to meet consistently.
