Staying focused on achieving your goals can be a difficult task, especially if you’ve set larger, longer-term goals that require months or even years of committed effort. If you have longer term goals you want to achieve but have been stalling with – or if you’re feeling stuck – here are a few tips to help you achieve those goals.

When setting goals for your business, make them SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely). SMART goals explain exactly what you want, how you’ll do it, when you’ll do it by, and how you’ll measure your progress.

Whether you set goals for your business or just take on projects, it’s helpful to schedule a regular project progress report to make sure you are still on track. For longer-term projects and goals, it can be difficult to keep yourself motivated and focused. These weekly meetings can help you check in, make sure you are allotting the appropriate time and resources, and allow you to deal with any problems that might come up.

Do you have financial goals for your business? If you’re just starting out, you may dream of paying off debt or being financially stable. If you’ve been in business longer, perhaps you dream of reaching a specific sales goal. Here are three key numbers to measure your company’s financial success.

How do goals differ from wishes? Wishes are things you’d like to have or do at some point, but you haven’t yet committed to taking action toward acquiring or experiencing them. They would be nice to have or something you’d like to do in the future. Goals are specific intentions you plan to achieve now.