Stop setting goals you don’t actually care about

At the start of 2016, I asked myself one question: “How can I make achieving my professional growth goals effortless?” I found the answer was elegantly simple: Focus on alignment goals.

Many people fail on their professional development goals for the year because they take on a lot of goals — goals that they feel they “should” do but that ultimately don’t energize them.

If you want to succeed with your professional growth goals, choose one or two key areas of focus that align with what really matters to you.

To clarify your own professional development goals, start by asking yourself three questions:

— If I could accomplish just one major professional development goal in 2017, what would it be?

— When I think about working on this goal, do I get excited about the process as well as the outcome?

— Is my motivation to pursue this goal intrinsic (something coming from within because it is personally interesting and important) or is it extrinsic (something that I feel would please other people)?

Keep the number of goals you choose as small as possible so you can give them your full attention.

Selecting what you want to work on, though, can often feel easier than actually moving toward those goals, especially when you’re faced with other work commitments. In order to reach these objectives, you need to ensure you align your time with them as well.

Decide on which days and times you can commit to moving ahead on your goal. You may have the opportunity to block out an entire day, or you may need to set aside smaller chunks of time — and actually mark it on your work calendar. Try one scheduling strategy and see how it works. If it seems to suit you and your colleagues, stick with it. If not, adjust the days or times until you get something that fits.

If you plan on working on professional development during the day, you may need to discuss with your boss what’s appropriate before making these changes. Try shutting your door, going to a conference room or working from home. A physical boundary is a great way to avoid getting derailed by unplanned meetings.

The exact amount of time you can spend will vary depending on your other responsibilities. But it is important that you’re consistently setting aside the time for your professional development goals. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but in time it will get more natural. This will create alignment between what you say is important to you and where you invest your time.

When you have professional development goals that align with what’s important to you and you align your time with those goals, you’ll find the results can feel effortless in 2017.