A GUIDE TO ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS
USING STEPPING STONE GOALS AND DAILY PROCESSES TO ACHIEVE EVERYTHING YOU WANT
Stepping stone or short-term goals are one of the key aspects of setting and achieving your wildly ambitious goals.
Whilst your big overriding, ambitious but totally within the realms of achievement goals are very long term, there is no way you will reach them without part way markers, mini-goals, or as we call them Stepping Stones.
Stepping stone goals are just that, they are steps to a larger goal, these may be steps that you need a little balance and stretch in the legs to get to, but they are not giant leaps. They are also not shuffles, they are steps big enough to have an impact. The tiny shuffles that progress you along and create compound change are daily processes, stepping stones are not that, they are bigger, often one-off achievements. Stepping Stone goals are also achievable. They are not based on luck, external influence, or flights of fancy. Stepping stone goals are achievable (with work and focus) steps to lead you to your long-term goal.
Setting them is a fine art in itself but here is how you get those stones in place and make sure they are meaningful but achievable enough to keep you going on your path to the overriding wildly ambitious overarching life-changing goals.
Whilst your big overriding, ambitious but totally within the realms of achievement goals are very long term, there is no way you will reach them without part way markers, mini-goals, or as we call them Stepping Stones.
Stepping stone goals are just that, they are steps to a larger goal, these may be steps that you need a little balance and stretch in the legs to get to, but they are not giant leaps. They are also not shuffles, they are steps big enough to have an impact. The tiny shuffles that progress you along and create compound change are daily processes, stepping stones are not that, they are bigger, often one-off achievements. Stepping Stone goals are also achievable. They are not based on luck, external influence, or flights of fancy. Stepping stone goals are achievable (with work and focus) steps to lead you to your long-term goal.
Setting them is a fine art in itself but here is how you get those stones in place and make sure they are meaningful but achievable enough to keep you going on your path to the overriding wildly ambitious overarching life-changing goals.
WRITE DOWN YOUR BIG, OVERARCHING GOAL
If you have followed our guide to setting and achieving goals you will already have done this, if not go back to this guide and find out how to write it down, need convincing? Check out why writing down your goals helps
UNDERSTAND HOW YOU REACH THAT GOAL
Simple huh, write down the goal, reach that goal. This is more nuanced though. You may have written down a goal of getting a new job. How do you need to get there, you need to complete a CV, decide what job to look for, search relevant sites, shortlist for application, apply for each job, follow up on each application, get to the first stage interview, prep for the first stage, complete first stage, follow up on the first stage and so on and on until the final stone will be; accept the role, hand in notice and start a new job, GREAT goal completed. Every step that it will take to get there is a stone in your journey. If your goal is something less linear and more obtuse, you may need to research how to get there. For example, ‘release course on skillshare’ is a goal which while great, not everyone has intimate knowledge of how you get there. This may need a little research or looking at someone who has completed the goal to see their journey.
SPACE OUT YOUR STONES
Again, bigger than shuffles, smaller than leaps. Your stones should be spaced out between now and your goal end date (ideal date to achieve what you want). Some stones will be close together (i.e. complete the first interview and follow up) and some will have a space of a couple of days or even a week (i.e. research company, prepare for the first interview). Working out the spaces will also give you mini-deadlines for your stepping stone goals, which is massively helpful for productivity and actually reaching your goals.
WRITE THEM DOWN
For each of your big goals, you should have separate stepping stone goals. We have set up a notion template which snuggles your stepping stones inside your big goals to track easily, but also shows a separate view of your stepping stones all in one dashboard. This is an incredibly helpful tool (if we do say so ourselves) because from this overview you can also see overlapping themes and areas for growth.
SET YOUR DAILY PROCESSES
We touched on this in our How to set and achieve your goals, but daily processes are an intrinsic part of both your morning routine and also achieving your goals.
Daily processes are small, incredibly achievable actions that compound daily. Sticking to the example we used about getting a new job, a daily process will be to set aside time to check your dedicated job hunter email, check job boards, or even twenty minutes reading up on industry news and practices. The master view of your stepping stones will help dictate what is important. For instance, if another of your goals is to become an expert in your field, or to start a side hustle, that 20 minutes of industry news will be applicable to two goals.
You should never have more than 4 daily processes, so once you have plotted out your stepping stones, you need to refine your daily processes to make sure that you aren’t taking on too much.
Daily processes are small, incredibly achievable actions that compound daily. Sticking to the example we used about getting a new job, a daily process will be to set aside time to check your dedicated job hunter email, check job boards, or even twenty minutes reading up on industry news and practices. The master view of your stepping stones will help dictate what is important. For instance, if another of your goals is to become an expert in your field, or to start a side hustle, that 20 minutes of industry news will be applicable to two goals.
You should never have more than 4 daily processes, so once you have plotted out your stepping stones, you need to refine your daily processes to make sure that you aren’t taking on too much.
And that is it, a few points to remember. Not every stepping stone will have daily processes, some stepping stones are finite actions that require a deadline rather than a daily process for compound growth. Also, your Stepping Stone Goals OR your daily processes don’t have to be set in stone (ironic really). Your big, unwavering goal is set as it’s life-changing. The way you get there is adaptable and varies based on external factors, speed of what you’re working on, even luck! For more in-depth training on how to set, adjust and achieve your goals, sign up for our goal course.
