One reason you may think you don’t have enough time to get everything done that you need to do, is that you’ve been trained that “busy” is equal to “productive.” Nothing could be further from the truth. You can be busy all day long from sunup to sundown and still not see any noticeable results from your efforts. If you really want to start seeing results, and you want to make more money and grow your business, you need to figure out what is working and do more of that.

Set SMART Goals

You’ve heard it before, and it may get tiring seeing it repeated over and over again. However, goal setting the right way is one of the most important things you’re ever going to learn. Goal setting can make all the difference in your life and your business. So, let’s repeat it again.

• S = Specific – Spell out your goal to be very specific about what you’re seeking. “I will gain 1000 new email subscribers during the two-week giveaway campaign.”

• M = Measurable – Ensure that your goal includes a way to measure your success. That means it must have numbers in it. “I will sell 1000 yoga mats per month by targeting and reaching at least 100,000 targeted ideal audience members through my six-week Facebook Ad Campaign.”

• A = Attainable – This is where research comes in. You need to know that this is something you can do in terms of time, money, and effort. If you aren’t going to stick to your plan, it’s not going to work.

• R = Realistic – If it’s not even possible, don’t even try to set a goal for it. You’re not going to earn 1 billion dollars in six weeks.

• T = Timely – This means that your goal needs to include a time limit. If you notice above, most of the goals written out include a time limit. Each of your goals needs to include a time limit, or you will not be able to make a realistic plan to see it come true.

Set a Routine for Review

Once you learn how to make the right type of goals that work, you should set up a routine for each thing you want to review. For campaigns, you’ll want to look at your data before, during, and after. For some ongoing projects like blog traffic, social media marketing, content marketing, and the like, you’ll want to figure out the best times for you to review results to see what is working and what is not working.

Measure Impact

Your actions need to impact the data you want to move. If you want more sales, the action you take should impact sales. If you want more email list members, the action you take should impact list sign-ups. Of course, all of your actions will affect different areas of your business and often multiple areas at the same time. As such, you’ll want to ensure you’re measuring the thing you’re trying to impact.

Adjust for Improvement

When you look at your data, you should be able to identify areas where you can improve. You may even note actions that have no impact at all, or the impact is so small that the effort it took was not worth it. The more you can identify actions that get results, you can do more of them. The more you recognize actions that don’t do anything, the more you can stop them.

The key is to focus on impact. The actions you take should impact your income. You’re only going to impact your income by making more relevant offers, building your email list, and growing your reach to your target audience. The only way to know if you’re accomplishing those goals is if you set up a plan to review the impact your actions make on a regular basis.