Many people and small business owners overlook the true importance of planning and setting goals. I don’t mean they don’t plan, or set goals at all, but rather the goals they archive are somewhat short of the original goal, and usually achieved with many delays. That can translate to time and money lost.

Consider this: A well known study of Yale University graduating seniors determined that only five percent of the class had written down clearly defined goals for the future.

Twenty years later the researchers interviewed the goal setters and non-goal setters. They discovered the goal setters in the class were happier and more productive than the 95 percent who did not set goals. Interestingly enough, the goal setters also had a greater net worth than the non-goal setters. That part is fairly understandable, but the truly mind-blowing fact was that the five percent who set goals had a greater net worth than the remaining 95 percent combined!

Over the years, I’ve been a fairly disciplined goal setter, but at one time I wasn’t good about defining concrete plans to attain those goals. Setting goals simply is the first step. Planning how you will achieve them is equally important. When you set goals, “stretch” yourself about 25 percent, particularly with short term goals.The reason for this is that believing, feeling and thinking you can attain the goal is integral to your ability to attain it. Break your goal down into steps and focus on each little baby step, one at a time. By doing so, eventually you’ll reach the goal you’ve set for yourself.

The most important thing is to write down your goals.  Something incredible happens when you put thoughts on paper.

Another way to look at goal setting and realization is using Napoleon’s battle cry “Divide and Conquer” during his take over of Europe as an example. No need for history lessons, but the approach worked, and it worked well. The divide and conquer approach is still used frequently in the business world. Here’s how it works.

• 1. Set your goal. (I’m going to start a new business – outdoor inflatable rentals)
• 2. Divide. (What do I need? Business license, a truck, inflatables, insurance, etc)
• 3. Conquer. (Week 1: Apply for license, look for a truck. Week 2: Purchase truck, research inflatables, etc..)

In the above example, you’ll see the timeline associated with step 3. This is very important to keep pace and stay on top of the steps required to ultimately archive your goal. The example is in weeks, but you can use any increments, days, months, quarters, years.

You’ll also notices the example clearly breaks down the course of action. Without clearly writing down the steps needed to archive the goal, its easy to get lost in all the things that need to be done, and that makes it easier to put off the goal until tomorrow, and the next day…

As you get better in setting goals, you will improve at seeing long term. I have found that seeing long term is a skill that can be developed. Don’t forget to envision possible speed bumps or stumbling blocks. Ask yourself what, if any, obstacles may come up and prevent or delay attaining your goals. Then, determine what actions you would take to deal with the obstacles and adjust the timeline.

If you truly follow the advice in this article you should have no problem attaining your goals, and as you become more driven and motivated in the process the timelines to reach those goals will also shrink. Something amazing happens when you get the ball rolling. Get started, write down some goals! Make sure you start with ones you can fairly easily achieve – its a great confidence booster. Before long you’ll be achieving milestones.

Last comment:  Remember to look at your goals everyday so that attaining them becomes a habit in your life.