All of us have learnt at work about goals and planning. Long range plans, annual plans, business goals, individual goals, joint goals and review sessions are part and parcel of corporate life. Yet, while we are the same person at work and in personal life, we hesitate to apply some of these practices to improve our personal lives.

I recently read about an interesting idea of an annual family meeting where families spend quality time evaluating the past year, defining goals that each family member would like to strive for in the year ahead, and discussing what support each of them would need from the others.

A while back, I had written about our family tradition on how we share each of our highs and lows for the past year at the end of the year. This year, rather than just look backward, we also incorporated this idea of an annual family goal sharing meeting.

Over the holidays, we sat around a round table and called a morning family meeting to discuss goals. The kids were a bit amused and sat up straight as I ran the meeting like a corporate meeting. We went around the table sharing our personal goals for 2016. We learnt some things about each other and perhaps ourselves. By prioritising in our minds what matters most and saying it out loud to our dearest ones – our goals become more real and more tangible.

Here is the great post from the Harvard Business Review website, by noted author John Coleman and counsellor Jackie Coleman, that inspired us.

Please read on …..

Do a quick Google search of “work-life balance” and over 260 million results will flood your screen. But the current conversation often treats “work” and “life” as separate and, all too often, in tension. We make annual resolutions, detailed daily plans, and to-do lists, but we do so as individuals — generally not sharing those plans or planning jointly with those closest to us. And we often think of our personal and professional goals as occupying distinct and separate spheres. But what if the work and home “spheres” could merge and actually improve the odds that we’ll achieve our goals?

Research shows that it’s easier to achieve our goals when we’re not trying to go it alone.

One recent research paper found a positive correlation between participation in digital communities and reaching fitness goals. Similarly, a study of rowers found that their working together in training heightened their threshold for pain.

For many of us, our closest and most trusted companion is a spouse. Couples in committed, long-term relationships often see each other every day, but rarely plan or set resolutions together. By not doing so, couples may actually be making it harder to achieve their goals. This January, we fully integrated our personal planning for the year for the first time. We’ve always informally mentioned our goals to each other, but this time around, we talked with intentionality about why we were chasing those goals, and how we planned to get there. By including each other in the process, we invited the other to not only be aware of what we plan to accomplish this year, but also to hold us accountable as we strive to reach these goals. And our experience combined with research we’ve evaluated and other couples we’ve consulted with have led us to a few tips for effective planning as a couple.

First, start with an annual board meeting. Several years ago, we attended a seminar where speakers Rick and Jill Woolworth introduced the idea of an “annual meeting” for families — taking time at the end of each year to evaluate that year and plan for the next.

Establishing this as a family norm assures that goal-setting happens on a set schedule rather than haphazardly or in isolation. For us, this happened over the holidays between Christmas and the new year, and included a discussion of the past year, how we performed against our goals, and how we felt about life as a couple and individuals. We wrote out our specific goals for the year and the habits we hoped to develop. Then we discussed them and how each of us could help the other achieve each goal. These annual meetings provide accountability, but more importantly, lay a vision for the year ahead.

Then, as so many have advised, break these annual goals into habits, monthly and weekly goals, and daily to-dos. By talking about your goals with your spouse and writing them down, you’ve already improved your odds of success. In Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive, authors Robert Cialdini, Noah Goldstein, and Steve Martin explain how making an active commitment directly affects action. In one of the studies they reference, researchers found that of a group of individuals who passively agreed to participate in a volunteer project, only 17% showed up to participate. Contrast that with those who agreed to volunteer through active means (writing it down, signing a contract, etc.), 49% appeared as promised.

The second essential component of annual planning as a couple is setting joint goals. What do you hope to achieve as a couple or (if relevant) for your children? What habits do you hope to develop together? According to one source, for example, only 30% of people surveyed felt they had achieved work-life balance despite it being second only to compensation among factors that lead to job satisfaction. The person with whom you share your life is likely the best person to help you plan for balancing it. And joint goals can assure that your personal and professional pursuits are more fully aligned.

Once you’ve made your plans, help hold each other accountable. When you invite someone to join you in setting and striving for goals, you are not only asking them to cheer you on when you reach certain landmarks, you are also empowering them to point out when you are unfocused or off track. This requires recognising that constructive feedback can be hard to hear from a partner, and letting go of some ego and pride.

Finally, in addition to conducting an annual meeting, check in on progress at the end of each month. While it is admirable to set aside time to do annual planning as a couple, this isn’t enough to really make things happen. Allow yourself regular checkpoints throughout the year in order to see where you are in developing habits and reaching your goals. Make it fun. Schedule a babysitter and go out on a date night. Keep the focus of the conversation on the progress and setbacks of the month and how you might continue that progress where things are going well and intervene where a goal or habit is off course. Some couples might be tempted to do this weekly – but often monthly feedback is about the right balance for a couple to bear.

Planning for both professional and personal goals with your partner can help you better care for one another, assure that you’re both focused on the issues that matter most, and enlist your biggest supporter in helping you to achieve your goals and get things done.

Do give John and Jackie’s advice a shot. I think you will find it very helpful. It will also strengthen the bonds in your family and help hold each family member accountable as well.

As always, it would be great to hear your perspectives. And if there is something along similar lines that you have found helpful, then do share it with our team. We would love to hear your stories.