There is so much you want to do, but you feel stuck and confused. You’re not exactly sure how to reach your goals. There has to be a better way than winging it! When you do things haphazardly, you get haphazard results. And even if you do achieve some success, you wouldn’t know how to replicate that again and again, because you don’t have a concrete plan in place. As the end of the year approaches, it is more than time to start planning so you can crush your financial goals.

Here is how you can crush your financial goals in 2017.

1. Write down your goals

Determine exactly how much money you’d like to make and save in 2017, along with how much debt you’d like to crush. Divide these amounts into monthly, and then weekly, goals. Yes, even if you’re on a fixed income, feel free to think beyond the numbers set for you by your boss. If you have various streams of income, you could determine how much money you’d like each stream to bring in. If you want to crush your financial goals, writing things down is essential! You could keep all this information in a planner.

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2.  Determine you are why

You now know the numbers, but you have to determine why it is so important for you to reach your goals. Would that extra $500 a month go towards your house down-payment fund? Write down your reasons, and then go even deeper into those reasons. For example, you want financial security. Why is that important for you? Determine the reason and seek the reason behind the reason…and so on and so forth. The more you understand your wants, the more motivated you’ll be to crush your financial goals. Have your reasons as constant reminders to keep you on the right track. You can put the reasons in your planner, as well as on sticky notes to keep around your workstation.

3. Determine the how

Now that we know what and why, it’s time to determine the how. How are you going to make an extra $500, save an extra $250 and pay off  $250 in debt – all in a month? Will you have to get a second or third income stream? If you want to know how to make money online, check out this article. And if you want to learn 5 money tips that helped me save 20K, give this a read. You should break down each day into concrete steps towards your goal. You could use a planner to keep everything organized. I used to think that my friend was silly for planning every hour of her day. But, I’ve found it incredibly helpful. If you want to crush your financial goals, realize that there is no such thing as too many details.

4. Be consistent

Once you write everything down, make sure you’re using your planner every day. You need to see the numbers for motivation and the steps so you can follow them every single day. Open your planner at the start of your day. Make sure to give yourself some buffer time. You want to feel productive, but you shouldn’t feel rushed or pressed for time. Anticipate rainy days. Some days, you’re not going to feel up to working on a blog, or tending to your clients. As long as you’re not breaking any commitments towards your clients or partners, go easy on yourself. If you have to miss deadlines, let all concerned know beforehand. We want to crush your financial goals—without sacrificing your peace of mind.

5. Track your progress

At the end of the week, assess whether or not you’ve reached your goals. If not, pinpoint the reason(s) why. Determine what you will change next week. The same thing goes for the months. Determine whether or not you’ve reached your monthly goals and the changes you’ll make going forward. You should also reward yourself each week and month. This will keep you motivated, week-to-week and month-to-month.

6. Get accountability partners

It is so helpful to have people with whom to share your goals, so you can keep each other on track. We normally don’t talk about money issues with our peers, but that isn’t helpful, as support and advice could be just around the corner. You can find accountability partners online, or among your circle of friends. Just make sure each one of you is serious about hitting his/her targets. Motivate each other, share your frustrations and crush your financial goals—together.
If you want to crush your goals, follow the five steps above. Do tell: What are your financial goals for 2017?