Setting the stage with goals isn’t always a walk in the park, but wow, does it pave the way for a show-stopping website.
Most people know Goals are important, but very, very few take the time to sit down, write them down, prioritize them, and then act on them.
So, for all you lovely aspiring online entrepreneurs, who might be staring blankly at a to-do list, wondering where to start, let me guide you through it.
1. Start with a Brain Dump
Seriously, just grab a pen and paper and spill out everything you’d love to achieve with your website. It doesn’t matter if it sounds like a wish list to Santa. Get it all down. Great and small.
Don’t think too deeply on what you’re writing at this stage. All of it is valid for now.
The main thing to do right now is just get everything you’ve ever wanted to be, do or have from your website written down.
Write down every mix of features you’ve seen and loved, and original ideas of your own. Nothing is too ambitious at this stage.
In this brainstorming session, everything from the practical to the fantastic is welcome.
2. Prioritize Your Goals
Some of your website-related goals are going to shout to you louder than others, and that’s okay.
Rank your goals by which ones light a fire in your belly. The ‘meh’ ones? They can wait.
For now organise them into:
- Top List: What you really, really want to have, through your website
- Potentials List: What you’d really like have
- So-So List: What you could have
- Tainted List: What others think you should have
- Bottom List: What would be a complete waste of your time having
Then decide which one is the most important to you from the top list. That one’s the first one you’re going to be working with.
3. Find the ‘Why’ Behind that Goal
Look at this top item from your top list and ask yourself: “Why?”
Why do I want to start a blog?
Why do I want to sell online?
Why do I want to set up a (fill in the blank) website?
Why?
Do I want to help people? Do I want to make money? Do I just want to do it for the joy of writing?
Understanding your ‘why’ is like finding the golden thread that ties all of your goals together.
Once you’ve worked out why you want to get your goal, by creating a website, it’s time to write down some actionable steps to get there. Which leads us into the next step.
4. Sort Dream from Reality
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for reaching for the stars. But let’s anchor those dreams to the ground with tangible goals.
Here’s where we break each dream down into achievable parts.
When doing this, think SMART:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-Bound
- Action Steps: For each goal, jot down the steps you need to take to make it happen.
For example, it you want to build an online store, your steps will include product research, finding suppliers, setting up affiliate links, and learning about e-commerce platforms.
- To Do List: The best tool I’ve found for moving forward towards any goal is a To Do List. It’s the simplest management tool out there and it rarely fails to deliver.
Every night I like to write down what I have to do the next day, prioritizing each in order of most urgent and most important, and then tackle them one at a time first thing the next morning.
5. Set Up Checkpoints
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a great website. Set up little checkpoints along the way – these are your mini-goals.
Hit one, celebrate, and then move onto the next.
- Don’t Forget to Celebrate the Wins: Celebrate every victory, no matter how small. Toast to the day you pick the perfect domain name, and throw a mini-party when you finish your first page of content. Celebrations will keep you enthusiastic and motivated to keep going when it gets tough.
You don’t become an online millionaire before you’ve made your first dollar online. Some make it slow, some fast, and unfortunately some never at all. Remember to celebrate as you go!
6. Take Time for Reflection
Now’s the time to schedule some reflection time. Sit with your goals and check in on your progress. I do this at least once a week. I know that if I miss a week, I may look up, months from now, and realize I’ve actually been drifting. And I don’t get those wasted months back!
Schedule it in and don’t let “life” distract you from keeping this important appointment.
Are your goals still giving you butterflies? If not, they aren’t big enough anymore.
It’s okay to tweak goals, particularly to aim higher or push yourself further. Goals should evolve alongside you, ensuring continuous growth and development.
7. Make Time to Visualize Success
Create a vision board or a digital mock-up of what success looks like. Picturing your website in all its glory can be a powerful motivator, keeping the dream in clear view.
Just dreaming, without action obviously means nothing. But acting without a dream is a heartless drudgery. Yes, you need action more than anything else, but don’t forget to daydream of your success occasionally.
8. Involve Others in Your Dream
Up until this step, it’s all been about you. Now you may want to involve one of more other people in your project. This isn’t mandatory. But I’ve found that most large projects, including building a website, have more chance of success if you’re partnered with someone whose strengths compliment your weaknesses, or at least someone who keeps you on the straight and narrow. Accountability is key.
To the individualists of the West, this can be controversial to admit; that you need help. But there are just some things that cost too much time to do alone. It’s up to you of course. But I think the rewards of creating with friends are worth the risks associated with trusting and believing in others.
If you’re up for it, share your goals with a friend or a fellow dreamer. Sometimes saying them out loud gives them that extra oomph, and accountability can be a powerful motivator. And even better, partner up with the right person, and you double your chances of success.
If individuals could do it all, there’d be no need for community.
There you have it, my friends. Goals can be as wild, wonderful, and varied as we are, and setting them should feel like the start of something exciting.
Embrace the journey to explore the depths of your potential and let each goal be a stepping stone to discovering new passions, mastering new skills, and pushing the boundaries of what you thought possible.
Remember, in the landscape of your website, you are both the cartographer and the traveler. Chart your course with intention, and let your goals light the way to uncharted territories of achievement and personal growth.
