5 Essential Tips to Set Effective Monthly Goals

Goal image — Photo by Ante Hamersmit on Unsplash

Monthly goals are crucial for success.

They are a bridge between your long-term vision and your short-term day-to-day actions. Setting goals each month is an essential task. It gives your month’s tasks clarity and purpose. You’ll never get confused about what you should do during the month again.

And it can take as little as 5 minutes to accomplish. Writing your monthly goals is a no-brainer. Yet, most people overlook the importance of monthly goals. As a result, they flounder and waste their time.

But since you're reading this blog post, you won't make the same mistake.

Are you ready to learn how to create effective monthly goals?

Good!

Let's dive in:

Tip #1. Relevancy

Make your monthly goals relevant to your long-term goals.

For instance, if you had a long-term goal of turning a side hustle into a full-time career, then you'd want to set a goal to make more money with this side hustle.

If your monthly goals have nothing to do with your long-term plan, then you’ll waste your time and spin your wheels. Not a productive way to spend your month.

Tip #2. Dream big, yet realistic

Set lofty goals that'll be difficult, but realistic to achieve.

Challenging goals will make you work harder. And they'll feel more rewarding to achieve.

Setting the bar low is effective in the beginning to build the habit, but not in the long run. You only go as far as you push yourself.

Tip #3. Timeline

Set timelines you want to achieve your goals by. Do you want to accomplish them by the end of the month? Or do you want to complete them at a different time within the month?

You can base your goals on your own experiences. Or you can leverage the experiences of others online to determine realistic timelines.

Tip #4. Actionability

Your goals need to be actionable if you want to achieve them.

The more specific they are, the more actionable they are.

Think about what you need to accomplish each week to reach your monthly goals. When setting your goals, write a few tasks you'll do to reach each goal. These can be repetitive tasks you'll do every day. Or they can be tasks that you do once or twice during the month.

Regardless, writing out the steps you’ll take gives you clarity. You’ll gain a clear perspective on how to accomplish each goal. This relieves stress and confusion, making your journey easier.

Tip #5. Big picture

Where do your monthly goals fit into your long-term vision?

Are your monthly goals towards the beginning or final stages of your long-term goals?

How do these month's goals lead to next month's goals?

Your monthly goals should fit in with your long-term goals. If they don’t, then reconsider what you want to accomplish this month.

Wrapping up

Monthly goals are the gateway between your daily goals and your long-term goals.

This gateway is easy to overlook. Especially if you think you’re on the right path already.

But taking the time to set goals for each month is never a waste of time. You’ll always benefit from gaining more clarity. Use monthly goals to supplement your journey to your goals.