Being your own boss can be really challenging at times, but it can also be very rewarding and exciting. Business owners need to stay focused and constantly set new goals and targets, but how can you do all of this and still remain motivated?
Project management, team management, financial management; they all take a lot of energy, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a new business, an established business, small or large, we can all suffer the same lack of energy and motivation, which eventually leads us to stagnate.
From experience, you need to find ways of keeping on top of it all and leaving yourself refreshed enough to continue pushing forward with your business. Here are five ways you can stay motivated and keep on top of your business and personal goals in 2016.

1. Make a list of simple, short term goals

Before you get started on your new year’s projects, it’s a good idea to set all your simple, short term goals first. By having a list of short term goals to refer to quickly, you can help yourself stay motivated by completing some of them on those days when you feel like you’re getting nowhere. Celebrate your small wins and add fuel to the fire that you need to keep pushing forward.

2. Always Remember ‘why’

We all set goals and targets, and at times, this can seem daunting. To overcome this, remember to always make a note of why you are setting them. To follow through with your long term goals, ensure you have solid reasons for achievement that really make sense and can help keep you motivated.

3. Break it all down

If you want to stay fresh and energetic about a large new project, it’s a good idea to break it down into smaller size portions. Create small baby steps that will ultimately build up to completion of the entire project and achieving your goals. You can celebrate each tiny ‘win’ and ultimately stay motivated and see through the duration.

4. Prioritise with a new task list

I keep a cork board of post it notes. I have two colours; yellow and green. I write the most important tasks on my green post-its and less important ones on the yellow ones. I find it really easy to keep track of what needs to be done, and when I feel overwhelmed, I can just ‘pick’ a task from the board without thinking about anything else. As the notes start to disappear, I get a great feeling of success and stay motivated.

5. Set rewards

Sometimes we’re all so busy setting goals that we forget one important thing: to set rewards for our achievements. When you’re mapping out your business targets and goals make sure you set a reward for completion. This will help you stay on course and will keep you motivated to continue with the next ones.

I hope these tips help you stay on course and focused with your business, and don’t forget, you can use some of these ideas for personal goals too, keeping you even more motivated!
I wish you and your business a very successful year!