Top Five Reasons Why Goals Need Deadlines
By
We set goals all the time. Sometimes those goals result in less than satisfactory outcomes. Have you ever wondered why that is? One explanation is because the goals have been left open-ended. Not giving our objective a target to completion leads to unfulfilled aspirations and ambitions.
Here are five reasons that goals need deadlines.
1. Deadlines avoid procrastination. What is the first thing you think about when there is something to do? Do you try to find a way to put it off? Many people do exactly that all the time. Many small business put off marketing because they’re business is full or where they want it at the moment. However marketing is something that should never stop.
2. Deadlines hold you accountable. Every goal needs a way that it can be tracked or measured. When there is a set time or due date for your goals, it’s easier to plan how you will actually achieve it. Setting several deadlines for small goals within a larger goal increases your chances of success. Also, others can help you stay on track when there is a deadline. If you are writing an informational product such as an ebook, you will want to push yourself with a deadline.
3. Deadlines help us visualize our goals. Everything that begins must have an ending. It may be close at hand or in the distant future. Either way, a conclusion is coming. The same is true with goals. Let’s say that you are adding a service to your business. In the middle of the task, you may get frustrated because things just aren’t coming together. You might be tempted to quit and stay within your comfort zone, but if you continue on you will be rewarded.
4. Deadlines turn a dream into a reality. When the idea of a goal is formed in our head, it can easily be pushed away and forgotten. No one knew about it but us and that’s how it will remain. Now that we have assigned a deadline to our “dream” it has become a goal. To remember the deadline, our goal gets written down somewhere so we can see it every day.
5. Deadlines encourage us to focus on our goals. We’ve established that without deadlines it’s all too easy to procrastinate. Having a deadline encourages us to get it into gear and start working on that big project. When we know we must have the project done by a certain time, it can be motivating, especially if we have an accountability partner watching our progress.
2 Comments
March 24th, 2009 at 10:26 am
You are smart to go over this material again for your readers. Even though most of us “get it,” and even practice it most of the time, it is the way of the mind that we need to be reminded why it works and to do it in every area of our lives.
Point number 2 has sort of a sub-section to it. Goals are a component to increased credibility. When our clients and prospects see us progressing forward they begin to regard us with esteem. When we do what we say we’d do, we present ourselves as reliable and with reliability comes an element of trustworthiness.
March 26th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Andrew,
You are so right on with your ideas. Credibility in our target market and with our clients is essential. Following through on our own goals helps to reinforce us as the expert in people’s minds. Thanks for the great comment.
Janet