It's almost the beginning of the year. Right up there with a healthier diet and more exercise is the other dreaded word—goal setting! Before you can be effective in your goal setting, you need to do a little homework.

  • Consider what you need to clear out of the way before you can really get to work on next year's big goals.

  • What unfinished business needs attending to so you can end this year with a clean slate?

  • What or whom do you need to say "no" to right now?

Once you get those things out of the way, follow these goal-setting tips that Promotional Consultant Today shares from Mind Tools.

1. Set Goals That Motivate You. When you set goals for yourself, it is important that they motivate you. Are your goals important to you? It sounds like an obvious question, but your goals must be self-motivating. They must be tied to high priorities in your life. Without this type of focus, you can end up with far too many goals, leaving you too little time to devote to each one. Be able to state why your goal is important to you. This will help you to narrow down and prioritize your goals.

2. Set SMART Goals. We've all heard the cliché about SMART goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. But do you really follow this practice? If your goals aren't measurable, how will you have the drive to reach them? Don't cast the concept of smart goals aside; instead, spend the time to define them.

3. Put Them In Writing. The physical act of writing down a goal makes it real and tangible. If you can't articulate the goal through simple words, then how can you achieve it? As you write your goal statement, use the word "will" instead of "would like to" or "might." For example, "I will reduce my operating expenses by 10 percent this year," not "I would like to reduce my operating expenses by 10 percent this year."

4. Make An Action Plan. How are you going to reach your goal? Write down your action steps and track or check off these steps along the way. This visual will help you to see progress, which also drives further motivation.

Follow these steps to goal setting and you'll be one step closer to your goal.

Source: Established in 1996, Mind Tools is one of the web's most comprehensive business training resources, with more than 25,000,000 corporate and consumer learners using the site each year. Mind Tools delivers leadership, team and personal development training to individuals, businesses, government agencies and nonprofits worldwide.