Hello Encepta team. We are Hanna Lee, Marketing and HR Assistant, and Heloisa Gomes, Administrative Assistant, at Encepta. With the beginning of the year, we would like to share with you some of the tips that we use when planning our goals and we hope that could help you achieve yours too.

In this blog post we'll try to help cover some questions that you might have and share some suggestions to support you in selecting objectives and achieving them.  We are sure that you have been asked at least once, “what are your goals for this year?”. If so, and you had a hard time trying to find that out, we can assure that there is no need to worry, as this blog post will cover essential suggestions to support you in selecting objectives and achieving them. Here we'll outline what goals are, why they're important, and provide a 5-step process for effective goal setting.

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What are Goals?

Goals are desired outcomes you want to achieve within a specific time frame, either a short or long term. Goals can be several objectives that you set to accomplish while monitoring your progress. We encourage you to focus on two areas of goal setting, one for your personal life and one for your professional  life. Goals help you break down your long-term vision into more manageable steps that are easy to measure with specific deadlines. 

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And why are Goals Important?

Goals are essential as they help guide you toward achieving your end result while supporting the bigger picture. Setting goals also creates a sense of purpose and motivates you to challenge yourself and try new things and experiences. In the workplace, goals are important as they help with productivity, so you can prioritize tasks and gain a deeper understanding of your resources, time, and energy. Another advantage is the progress you can measure to identify if you are on track and taking greater control of your future. Additionally, goals create a sense of accomplishment when you achieve them and allow you to celebrate your hard work.

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5 Steps for Goal Setting

And here comes the most important part: setting your goals. You will find out that this task is not rocket science. All you need is a solid plan. Grab a pen and paper, and let’s start.

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1. Create a Clear Vision 

‍Before setting any goals, you must clearly understand what you want to achieve in the long run. Take the time to brainstorm what you really want to accomplish this year, and ensure that your goals align with your values and passions. 

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‍2. Break them Down

The next step is to be SMART, and we mean it. To build a goal that will be accomplished, it needs to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. Break your goals down into smaller, more manageable objectives. For example, you want to grow your career by advancing from an intermediate Design Engineer to an advanced Design Engineer by the end of 2023. Break this into smaller tasks like meeting 1 required certification for an advanced Design Engineer by the end of the quarter.

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‍3. Develop a Plan

Now that you have broken your tasks down, it’s time to create a plan to accomplish them all. Each task must have a specific reasonable deadline because it’s easy to get sidetracked and procrastinate when you don’t have an end date. Your plan should also identify obstacles you may face while trying to complete your tasks. If you have a mitigation plan, it is easier to overcome possible challenges and ensure you don’t lose motivation. 

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4. Be Accountable

The next step to consider is making sure that you will hold yourself accountable when taking action. One way to do this is by sharing your personal goals with a friend or family member and your professional goals with a manager or mentor. Having someone else’s support through this process will help motivate you to stay on track and gain encouragement when needed. Additionally, if you and your colleague or friend have similar goals you can work together to  accomplish them. 

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5. Reflect and Adjust

The last step we recommend in this process is one of the most important things to consider. Throughout your timeline, allocate time to reflect on your progress and the tasks you have completed to help achieve your goals. If something isn’t going the way you planned, reflect on why this is happening, discover things about yourself, and understand that achieving goals is an ongoing development. If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to adjust your plan and keep moving forward. 

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And last but not least, celebrate success! This is probably the most important step in sticking with a goal. Celebrating your achievements along the way helps maintain your motivation, to make sure to keep working towards the next steps. 

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In summary, setting personal and professional goals can be challenging, but following these five steps will help you achieve your 2023 goals and grow as an individual. Remember to be patient with yourself but don’t give up, and you will be on the pathway to success. 

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If you need any help setting and tracking your goals, we created a template that can help you out.

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Let us know your thoughts and Happy Goal Planning in 2023!