The Time is Now to Start Setting Your 2018 Goals

Today is December 1, 2017. We have one month until we ring in 2018, a brand new year, and a brand new chance to set goals for ourself.

Goals come in a number of forms. Perhaps it is a new certification, or a new skill. It could be to exercise more, or to drink less coffee. No matter what the goal, now is the time to start making a list of what you want to accomplish in 2018.

Remember, goals can change and evolve, so you aren’t locked into anything.  With this in mind, what’s the harm in setting a few goals for yourself?

Ready for some tips for setting your 2018 goals?

Start With A List

Make a brain dump of everything you think you want to accomplish in 2018. Write everything out in one place.  They can be personal or professional, no goal is too stilly or too small to write down.

Start With the Easy Ones

When I say easy ones, I don’t mean the ones that will be simple to achieve. I mean the ones where it will be simple to tell if you have accomplished the goal. For example, if I put VCP-NV certification on my list of goals, that would be something I consider easy since I can easily quantify how I have met the goal.  I have passed the exam and gained the certification, so my goal has been completed.

Determine at Least Three Things You Must Do

What do we actually need to do to meet our goal? Using the example of VCP-NV again, I know I must download and understand the blueprint, read about NSX, and get some hand on experience. For a goal like exercise more, I may need to do things like get new exercise clothes, pick out exercises to try, and make time in my life to exercise.

Figure Out Issues You May Encounter Now

Think of what could go wrong ahead of time! Two things that are easy to go wrong for any goal are having the time and the resources to accomplish them. Since both of these things can be difficult to figure out, write them down so you can start thinking about how to solve these issues.

Set A Date

Set a date you want to accomplish your goal buy. If you’re two aggressive and it changes, don’t worry about it.

Now For the Harder Goals

For the goals that are a bit harder in the sense where they are more abstract, write down three criteria for meeting the goal. For example, if I want to exercise more, I may say my goal is to be able to run on a treadmill for 20 minutes, three times a week. Now I have quantified the goal, and determined what exactly will have happened for me to be able to cross it off my list. After you’ve done this, repeat the above process.

Any old notebook or piece of paper is a great place to start writing down your goals. I also handed out goal carts at #VMworld 2017, which you can see below:

Feel free to use this as a template, or to come up with a system which works for you!

After you do your initial goal brain dump, revisit it a couple times before 2018 begins. Also make sure to check in regularly with your goals during the course of 2018.  If you are really looking to get organized for 2018, take a look at Passion Planner and see how it can help you organize time for learning and help you check in on your goals.

Melissa Palmer

Melissa is an Independent Technology Analyst & Content Creator, focused on IT infrastructure and information security.  She is a VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX-236) and has spent her career focused on the full IT infrastructure stack.