How to outlast

When setting your sights on success in 2024, you can outperform 99% of people just by having a long-term mindset. Using structured, strategic planning is the easiest way to follow your path for whatever thing you choose to focus on. You may not know how to get there, so it's best to set yourself up with a helpful goal-setting framework before the new year.

Writer Justin Welsh from The Saturday Solopreneur shows us how to transform big missions into small, successful action steps.

Goals | Decades

• Realistically, your biggest goal or mission may take decades to achieve. Ask yourself, who do you want to help, what do you want to help them do, and why do you want to help them do that?
• Your big goal should be more "customer" focused than "me" focused. When you hone in on solving problems and providing services, your needs and wants tend to be met naturally.

Strategy | Yearly

• When building a strategy on how you'll accomplish your mission, using the SMART goal framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) can give you the best chance for success.
• If you're unsure how to start creating your SMART goals, try this: My goal is to [objective] by [timeframe]. [Key players] will accomplish this goal by [what steps you’ll take]. Achieving this goal will [result or benefit].

The engagement trendline is moving in the right direction (win), averaging 1.53 posts per day (miss) and trending toward 508,000 followers by year’s end (win).

Tactics | Quarterly

• Every quarter allows you to review, refine, and execute tactics that align with your yearly strategy. Start with identifying three tactics that lead to most of your growth, like the example above.
• Take each of those tactical actions and create quarterly milestones to see how you're tracking. Mapping these plans out in a document or your calendar increases the likelihood that you'll achieve these micro-goals.

Effort | Daily

• Your daily commitments to creating and sharing valuable content, engaging with your community, and learning from the feedback are all stepping stones to achieving your ultimate mission.
• Keeping a detailed yet flexible schedule in your calendar can ensure that your micro-goals receive the time and attention they deserve. Try setting daily tasks for yourself that support your quarterly and yearly goals.

Outlasting most people isn’t about blind hustle. It happens by following a disciplined, structured approach to your work. In the world of working for yourself, reaching big success is a mix of dreaming big and making step-by-step plans. Or, in other words - putting your time and effort where your mouth is. – Justin Welsh