“This is a guest post from Michelle Fabio a fellow writer and blogger. Thanks Michelle!”
Whether you’re aiming to scale Mount Everest, lose 10 pounds, stop smoking, become a nurse anesthetist, or simply take the stairs more often at work, pinpointing your goals and then tracking your progress and setbacks will help you achieve them.
How, you may ask? Well, the positive steps you’ve taken will help you stay motivated, and acknowledging the negatives will highlight the areas you need to work on.
While there are probably hundreds of books that can help you set goals and track your progress, why not start out with the free stuff? Here they are:
15 Free Online Tools to Help You Set Goals and Keep Track of Them
1. 43 Things: One of the most popular online goal tools, this social networking site allows users to set goals for themselves, keep track of them, see who else is pursuing the same goals, and also offer encouragement to others.
2. 8goals: Online software that allows you to set and track goals — and even offers ideas for goals if you’re looking for inspiration.
3. eLifeList: This site revolves around the concept of the "Life List," which includes any and every goal you set for yourself in your lifetime; you can add photos, videos, and running comments regarding your goals and share everything with fellow users.
4. FitDay.com: For those who want to get in shape, this is a free diet and weight loss journal to track foods, exercise, weight loss, and goals; this site has over 2 million members.
5. Goal Setting Tool: A work sheet offered through AssistGuide Information Services and the National Family Caregivers Association that asks you to answer simple questions to help pinpoint your goals.
6. Goalsetting1: A social community that revolves around goals; also offers handy graphs to better chart your progress.
7. The Goals Grid: Easy to follow method developed by Fred Nickols of Distance Consulting LLC that helps you identify your goals and place them on a grid to help clarify your objectives.
8. The Goals Guy: This site has a lot of paid services available, but dig a bit and you’ll find lots of great free advice on setting and sticking to goals, particularly the Ten Commandments of Goal Setting.
9. iijournal: Online tool that lets you privately track goals and personal experiences in journal format.
10. Joe’s Goals: Simple tool for keeping track of goals using checkmarks, smiley faces, and frowns; no download required. Track your score, use Joe’s Logbook for journal entries, and share entries with friends if you like.
11. Life Science Tools: A free account here lets you set and track "targets," and can also provide you with daily email reminders if you wish.
12. My Life Changes: Just as its name suggests, this site helps you pinpoint where you would like to make changes in various aspects of your life and helps you achieve them by offering tracking tools as well as great general, inspiring information.
13. MyProgress: Currently in Beta with all features free to users, this tool allows you to observe and analyze your productivity, financial progress, skills and knowledge, and more.
14. stickK: With the slogan "Change starts now," this site is centered on the idea of the "commitment contract," and even lets you set monetary stakes (or not if you don’t want to) for achieving your goals.
15. Wesabe: For those who want to set and keep track of financial goals, this offers ways to track your expenses and purchases and also has lots of good information on saving money; there’s even an iPhone application.
What are your goals and what steps are you taking to achieve them?
Guest post by Michelle Fabio, About.com Guide to Law School, who also writes about RN to BSN programs at RNtoBSN.net.
Michelle Fabio, Esq.
About.com Guide to Law School: http://lawschool.about.com
Life and love in southern Italy: http://bleedingespresso.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/michellefabio / http://twitter.com/lawschoolguide
