How to Perform a Mid-Year Check Up to Make Sure Your Goals Are On Track
You know that strategic goals require reflection and reviewing to make sure they’re on track and worth continuing with. Now that we’re midway through the year, it’s the perfect time to review and possibly recalibrate if necessary.
A checkup can be done in any manner, but if you need any inspiration for how to review your goals and make sure you stay on track, here are some potential ideas to consider.
7 ways to take an honest mid-year look at your goals
1. Review the goals you set for yourself.
The most obvious place to start, and one I don’t recommend skipping, is reviewing the goals you set for the year. When you reviewed 2020 and set resolutions for 2021, you were committing to a massive overtaking: Goals that would span over 12 months’ time.
Here are some questions to ask yourself as you review what’s happened in the past six months.
- How have those goals played out over the course of the past six months?
- What does your progress look like to date?
- Did any of your goals end up being duds?
- Are you struggling with any elements in particular?
- Can you bring anyone in to help make achieving your sub-goals easier?
- Are any of these goals worth ending or adjusting?
- Can you add more to your list?
2. Create or review a mission and values statement.
Reviewing your mission and values statement now, when you’re reviewing your goals for the year, helps you determine whether these goals will actually help you work toward your big vision, with aligned values. And, if you don’t have a statement like this, consider taking a moment now to create one.
Anything on your goals list that doesn’t match your mission and values should be cut. It’s easy to set goals that may seem fun or even achievable, but if they aren’t leading you in the right direction, what’s the point of simply crossing those off the list? You’ll expend more time and energy on tasks that don’t support your most important goals.
3. Measure your progress.
You’ve reviewed your goals, resolutions, and mission and values statement. So, how did you do? Not sure? Well, measuring is an extremely important aspect in checking in on your progress, and this is also another step we don’t suggest skipping. The basics of any mid-year review include reviewing and measuring any progress toward goals…anything else is just extra.
Not sure how to measure goals? The answer varies depending on what goals you set. Some goals are time sensitive. For example, if you have a goal that must be achieved once per quarter, at this point, you should be halfway there, achieving the goal two times so far. Other goals may be measurable by amount completed, and this is especially the case for one long term goal that won’t be completed until the year is through. Manually reviewing and measuring how much you’ve worked on and completing will help you understand whether or not these goals will be accomplished come year end.
4. Develop a tracking system for your goals.
If you don’t already have a way to measure your progress without manually reviewing it throughout the year, I highly recommend developing a tracking system that will do this busywork for you. Depending on your tech knowledge this system can be quite advanced and automated, or more simple, but still strategic.
One example of a tracking system is using a project management system, like Wrike or Asana and creating lists or boards to move your projects, resolutions, and goals through. Task management systems like these often offer or allow for automations to run the tracking for you, so that you can review it at a glance.
5. Celebrate your wins.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve exceeded your expectations, are right on target to achieve your goals, or only completed a few small things. The very first thing you should do after reviewing and measuring your accomplishments is to celebrate your wins. Big or small — it doesn’t matter! Whatever you’ve achieved is a big feat, and you deserve some recognition for that.
Celebrating your achievements can be a small or large act. You may simply choose to just acknowledge your hard work, or consider making a celebration out of it. Take yourself to dinner, splurge on a spa treatment, or enjoy a treat you don’t regularly get to eat.
6. Create an action plan.
This might feel like just a “silly” mid-year check up, but think of it as a chance to start fresh. Your previous goals may still need working on, so how will you achieve them over the next six months? An action plan might seem like a small start, but if you can parcel out smaller tasks over the course of the next six months, your bigger goals will seem easier to achieve by year’s end. So sit down with a pen and paper and plot out how you’ll achieve what’s left on your list.
7. Find a way to motivate yourself.
Sometimes, motivation is the hardest part of being successful. Your goals may very well be strategic and aligned, but if you’re feeling uninspired, you simply won’t achieve them. So, how can you ensure that motivation runs high at all times? Call in your cheerleaders. Ask your colleagues or family members to check in with you and celebrate any small wins. Keep a list of all the tiny accomplishments and read it at the end of the week. Staying motivated is as simple as setting up solutions to keep that inspiration on track.
