Aligning your personal goals, with your professional goals is a remarkable way of achieving more in everything you do. Introducing this into your mode of working brings about not only professional satisfaction, but also a genuine sense of productivity in your day-to-day life. You realize that you are doing not just what you are ‘supposed’ to do, but also what you ‘want’ to do.

At times our personal and professional goals may be compatible, however, at time they may be extremely diverse by themselves. Regardless, it is possible to achieve the balance, and here is how –

1.Having a clear idea of your organisational goals

The first thing to do, before you can achieve a parallel between the organisational and personal goals, is knowing with utmost clarity what the organisational goals are. To set your own goal framework, you need to have a sound knowledge of what the larger organisational objectives are. In order to do this, you can revisit the definition of your role and the expectations from the same. It is also important to pay due attention to this fundamental step because unless your professional goals are met, it will be difficult for you to balance your personal goals.

2. Knowing what you want from the organisation

Besides having a clear idea of the organisational goals, and what the organisation expects from you, it is equally important to have your set of expectations from the organisation. Having this parameter in place is a crucial way to check the growth you envisioned for yourself, versus the actual growth you experience. This gives you a reality check every time you need it. As is only fair, you must keep reminding yourself of your objectives and reasons when you joined this organisation. This reminder serves as a way to map your path for the present and the future.

3. Building Focus

Focus is the one thing that is in extremely short supply in the present times, thanks to the myriad distractions all around us. To be able to maximize our potential in whatever we choose to do, we need to sustain our focus on one thing at a time. Building focus comes only with practice. Mostly by building an awareness of when your focus drifts, and bringing it back to where it should be.

4. Prioritizing

Not all things that are there on your to-do lists demand the same amount of priority. Understanding your priorities and building a habit of delivering accordingly is a prerequisite towards achieving compatibility between your personal and professional goals. At times your personal goals may be the priority and it is important to recognize this and act upon it. A lack of prioritization leads to an imbalance which will affect both your personal and professional growth.

5. Being Decisive

While being able to align personal and professional goals is indeed an achievement, it does not come easy. To be able to achieve this, you may have to make some tough, but important decisions along the way. Recognizing the need for this and acting upon it is not easy, but essential. Goals are dynamic, they keep changing as you grow and with the varied work-life experiences you have. Recognizing the need for change, and acting on bringing it about by being decisive is a very important factor for growth.

Aligning your personal goals with professional goals provide you direction and you begin to understand what your work is worth, and how your performance affects the organisation. This gives you a benchmark to reach the optimal level of satisfaction when it comes to achieving your goals. One of the most important advantages of aligning these goals with each other, is making your expectations from yourself (and the organization’s expectations from you) visible.

Ever tried aligning your personal and professional goals? Tell us what worked and what didn’t, right here! Wish you happy productivity, and happy in the now!