Many of us set goals - that part’s typically not as hard as sticking to the goals. It’s really not that difficult to stay on track, as long as we lay the tracks to begin with!

We've talked about setting goals that matter, and putting them into motion. Once those goals are formulated and we take that initial action, we need to look at what to do to make sure we meet our goals.

Follow these eight tips to help you stay on track:

1. Write the goals down, and make sure you and everyone else involved are crystal clear on the expectations. What does the goal look like once it is achieved. How will you know you were successful? Is there a way to measure it?

2. Assign responsibility for driving each goal forward. You might be the one and only, or perhaps you have a team of people that you rely on. If you have a team you are assigning responsibility to, help them understand what it means to be responsible for the goal. It’s not about doing everything, it’s about managing the processes and people that need to help get the goal accomplished.

3. Break the goal into 1-step tasks that can be scheduled and accomplished.

4. Schedule the tasks. Use the method that works for you. Best practice is to have just one place for scheduling, like an outlook or google calendar that can be accessed from anywhere. I like using Tasks with my calendar to keep track of the tasks and reschedule them when necessary.

5. Implement daily huddles to check-in quickly on a regular basis about the status of your tasks that lead to the goals. This allows people the opportunity to get help or clarity on issues.

6. Schedule monthly debriefs to review the status of your goals. When your goals involve a team, give them a heads-up about the debrief so they can prepare ahead (and maybe motivate them to do a bit more to complete the goal prior to the meeting!).

7. Know yourself and be honest about what kind of support you need. If you’ve had a pattern of blowing off your own tasks and debriefs, set something in place to help you stay accountable to it. If the team isn’t performing, have a meeting to discuss what would incentivize them to keep on track with the goals.

8. Have fun with it - lighten up about it. Find creative ways to keep each other accountable. Celebrate the wins along the way.

If you have any other ideas or tips that work for you, please share in the comments below.