3 Goal Setting Hang-Ups, and Solutions for Each
Setting and reaching a goal consists of 3 main stages:
the part that depends on your time, resources, and tools
the part that relies on your know-how and abilities
the part that counts on you doing the work
These areas each create their own hurdles around achieving goals. Over the years, I’ve struggled with all three of the hang-ups above, and today I’m sharing my best insights on how to overcome them.
With goals, we either tend to overaim with excitement or under-aim with overwhelm. Both often result in feeling stuck. But instead, we need to find the right balance to bust through roadblocks like these.
Good news is, goals are infinitely easier to set and achieve with you are equipped with the right tools in your pocket.
If you are struggling to start or grow your creative business, don’t extinguish your dreams before you have a good run! Give it your best shot with the tips in today’s blog post.
1 // Time, tools, and resources
Goals are limited by the time and resources available to you.
If you feel limited by what you have work with, get creative. How can you make the best of it and still pursue your goals now instead of waiting until a better time?
Get the most out of what you have here and now, and pursue your dreams.
List out all of the factors that you feel limited by. Whether you . . .
only have a few hours a week
don’t have fancy equipment
can’t afford privacy software
Look for creative ways to work around them. The idea is to be a bit “scrappy” and find clever ways to make it work. Then, once your business is bringing in enough income, you can think about investing in better tools and resources, or you might quit your job or hire help so you have more time.
Before long, you’ll start bringing in a profit, and you’ll be able to invest in the next level of tools to help you work more efficiently.
Home to get the most out of your time:
When you sit down to work, stay focused, and get as much done as possible. Make sure you know exactly what you need to work on. It’s incredibly easy to waste an entire day doing little random tasks here and there if you’re unclear of what to do.
Tackle the tougher, important tasks first, and get to the heart of your to-do list. Start with your priorities—even if they seem to loom before you. The quicker you chip away at the mountain, the sooner you’ll gain momentum and motivation.
Set time limits for each task, and try to beat the clock. The goal is to have as much progress as possible to show for your time.
Avoid working while distracted, and cut out anything that will dim your attention. Find a comfortable place to work, and try changing up your setting from time to time, too. If you usually work from home, consider relocating to a coffee shop once or twice a week for a change of scenery.
Related post: 25 Ways to be Strategic with Your Time and Efforts
How to get the most out of your tools and resources:
“Use the one that you have” when it comes to a camera, computer, or other tools.
Consider borrowing equipment from a friend or trading services with a fellow entrepreneur.
If you need help but aren’t able to pay someone for help yet, think about creating an internship opportunity where you teach the tricks of the trade in return for some assistance.
If you don’t have a ton of money to invest up front, use free or inexpensive versions wherever possible. There are lots of options these days, so be sure to do some digging!
A fancy new computer or an expensive software might be nice, but do you actually need the latest and greatest tools and equipment right off the bat? Some expenses are necessary to start and run your business, so take a hard and honest look at what you truly need and what you can get by without—at least for a time.
Depending on your business, you may be able to get started with only a few monthly expenses, such as a Squarespace website and Photoshop, for example.
When you cut out the fluff from your expenses, it’s easier to set and reach goals related to your income. And there’s always room to upgrade later as your business grows. Plus, it frees you up to invest in the things you really do need in order to get your brand up and running.
Get my workbook for setting, planning, and reaching your goals:
2 // Know-how and ability
The trickiest hang-up when setting goals is probably the task of figuring out how to make goals possible. What steps do I need to take? What are my options for marketing? How do I get my business off the ground? How do I break my goal down into small daily actions?
I recently shared about the missing link to reaching goals and also how to apply that secret to help you reach goals on time and stop the cycle of resetting them to the next month, so be sure to check out those posts if you haven’t read them already.
It’s important to break down each goal into small tasks and a plan you can follow each day. Marketing and productivity each play a big role in accomplishing goals; productivity takes self-discipline, and marketing takes know-how.
If you don’t know how to make your goals possible, consider reaching out and working with someone to help you get started. A little bit of tailored guidance and a step-by-step plan can go a long way with getting your business up and running. Once you get a system in place for setting and reaching your goals, it’s infinitely easier to grow with success.
How to boost your know-how:
Work within your expertise, and play to your strengths. // Set goals that make sense with your talents and knowledge base. What do you already know, and how can you levredge that to help you reach your goals? If making videos scares you silly, then you might want to rethink your goal on starting a YouTube channel—unless you are ready and willing to overcome your fears and push through.
Do your research. // What key information are you missing? What do you need in order to set goals strategically? Create a list of things you need to learn. Do you need to learn how to create a cohesive brand, for example? Do you need to learn how to market your business better? Then, determine if you want to take the time to develop those skills yourself or if you should consider working with pro.
How to benefit from experts’ abilities:
Partner up. // You don’t have to go it alone; get help! If there’s an expert who can serve your business in an area that doesn’t fall under your wheelhouse, reach out. Investing in high quality products or services is a wonderful way to benefit your business and allow you to reach new boundaries that you couldn’t on your own. The same goes for taking a course or working with a business coach. Learning from others is gold, and when you work take advantage of the chance to work one-on-one, it’s even better. Not to mention, it will save you countless hours.
3 // Doing the Work
Even once you have the perfect plan with all of your action steps scheduled out in your calendar, there’s still one final hurdal between you and your goals: doing the actual work involved. The best ways to ensure you complete your tasks are to . . .
Stay focused:
Stick to your priorities, and don’t let outside sources cause you to stray from your path. Don’t let yourself get pulled in directions that don’t lead to your goals because of what your competition is doing.
Instead, refer back to your objectives, and stick to the plan that leads to them. Of course, if you do need to reevaluate, go for it. But be aware of comparison and “shiny object syndrome,” which can distract you from reaching your goals.
Plan your day:
The best way to get the necessary work done is to write down exactly what you need to do. Keep this list nearby at all times, and refer to it throughout the day. Be clear about what you have to complete and why you need to complete it.
Having a work schedule in place provides guidance for how you spend your time and prevents your day from getting away from you.
Creating a business strategy and plan is a great way to ensure you know what to work on each day, too.
Stay motivated:
If you have trouble staying motivated at pursuing your goals, take a break, a day off, or a moment to refresh. Have a Discovery Day to return to your “Why” and rekindle the reason you started a creative business in the first place.
When you get to the foundation behind your brand and why you do what you do, it will give you a motivation boost and help to prevent you from getting burned out.
Be productive:
If your motivation is high but your productivity is low, you might need to develop new habits or routines.
Following a morning routine is a great way to start your day on a productive note. The momentum created by this often carries throughout the rest of your day, too.
Do your best to work quickly and efficiently when you’re in “work mode,” rather than working slowly with less vigor. The more effective you are each day, the closer you get to your goals.
Batch your tasks:
One way to make it easier to get the work done is to create less work for yourself. To do this, find ways to cut back on the little steps or repetitive tasks by tackling them in bulk.
For example, plan your instagram ahead of time: instead of photographing a new image each day for instagram, try having a photoshoot day to batch a few weeks’ or months’ worth at once. Not only will you cut out the repetitive set-up and tear-down that occurs for each photo, but you’ll also have the ability to plan out multiple posts in advance and schedule them so you can focus on other tasks.
This technique eliminates the time you’d normally spend on the small, in-between tasks.
Streamline and automate:
An easy way to aid in getting work done is to make things more efficient. Streamline your processes, and find ways to add more systems into your business.
Automation is also a great way to save time and cut out a large amount of work that you never have to think about again.
Ask yourself how you can make your workflow more efficient, and create an ongoing list of ideas.
Outsource:
One of the easiest ways to lighten your load and increase the quality of results is to outsource and hire a professional to complete certain work for you.
Do you need new high-quality photos? Consider hiring a photographer to capture images for you so you can spend your time on other tasks in your wheelhouse.
Do you need a new brand identity design and website? Think about the benefits of hiring a professional designer.
Not only will it save you from months of research, work, and trial-and-error, but getting help from an expert in her field brings “industry insider” knowledge to the table. This includes the latest methods, strategies, and other valuable information that isn’t commonly known to the outside world.
These secrets can make all the difference in the end result!
If you are hoping to bring your brand and website to the next level, I would love to chat with you! I specialize in brand design and strategy for creative entrepreneurs.
Brand and website design: I only take on one design project at a time and focus on each client one-on-one. My unique process has an in-depth prep phase, so the design portion is completed in just 1 week.
Brand strategy coaching: I love helping creatives get to the heart of their business and create an actionable plan. From brainstorming and laying out ideas, creating a strategy, and step-by-step implementation, this program is designed to help you stop waiting and start succeeding.
Head to my services page to see how I might be able to serve you and your creative business.
In conclusion, when you set goals, take a close look at . . .
Your time and resources: What time do you have available to work with? What tools and resources do you already have? What are the best options for additional things you do need?
Your know-how and abilities: What knowledge or skills do you need to make this goal possible? How or where will you learn this?
Your role in doing the work: What will help you accomplish the work involved? Who might be able to help?
So there you have my best tips for overcoming your goal-setting hang-ups! Have you tried any of these ideas before?
Do you struggle to set goals? Or are you a pro in this area? I always love learning more about other creative entrepreneurs and their processes around reaching goals. I would love to know your thoughts! Leave me a comment below with all of your goal-related ideas and questions, and I will get back to you!