As you think about what you want to accomplish next year, set SMART goals—that is, goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. Use positive language; phrase your goals in terms of what you will do, not what you won’t do. Be explicit by including dates, times, and amounts so you’ll know when a particular goal has been reached. Be sure your goals are attainable and realistic. Don’t make them too easy—but don’t set them so high that they’re impossible to even partially achieve.

Beyond business

It’s easy to focus goal-setting in the business and financial areas of our lives and just let everything else happen without a plan. But you should also have goals related to your family, home, and relationships; your health; your faith and spiritual development; and your personal educational development.

All of your goals need to be integrated to create a balanced, fulfilling life. Every goal you set must be consistent with your values. If it’s important to you to spend time with your family and time volunteering with a community service organization, don’t set business goals that will require you to work 18 hours a day. And keep in mind that all the material success in the world won’t matter if you are not mentally and physically healthy.

Write down your goals and your plan

Until they are written down with a plan to achieve them, goals are only wishes. Putting your goals in writing gives you the opportunity to analyze them to be sure they are specific and measurable. As you develop your plan, you can evaluate how realistic your goals are and make modifications if necessary. Prioritize your goals so that you deal with the most important ones first.

Your plan should list the steps you need to take to achieve each goal, when those steps need to happen, and what you need to do to make them happen. Goal-setting and planning is not a quick process; it takes time and thought. Some people find it helpful to set aside a weekend or at least several evenings to think through their goals and create a plan. And remember, this is not something you should do alone; the people involved in your plan—such as your spouse, family, and business partners—should be part of the process.

As your plan takes shape, you’re likely to become aware of additional goals. That’s great—work them into your plan. For example, you may realize that you don’t have the knowledge to reach a particular goal, so you need to put education into your plan. Or you may realize that the action items required to reach a personal goal conflict with those necessary for a business goal. When that happens, adjust your goals and your plan to remove the conflict.

Focus on the future

If you had a written plan for 2007, refer to it as you plan for 2008. If you didn’t achieve all of the goals you set for yourself this year, that’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up over the money you didn’t make, the weight you didn’t lose, or the bad habit you failed to break. You can’t change the past, so don’t waste time dwelling on it. Instead, look back long enough to figure out what you need to do differently to have better results next year, and move on.

Once you have achieved a goal, allow yourself to savor the accomplishment. Reward yourself appropriately. And then get back to work on the next item on your list.

Jacquelyn Lynn (www.jacquelynlynn.com) is the author of Entrepreneur’s Almanac and a contributor to Real Estate Investor’s Newsletter.