When you are setting goals for 2015, you must also devise a method for following through on those objectives, says April Lynn Levitt, a Toronto-based coach with the Personal Coach.

Without a plan, you are unlikely to meet your goals. And those unmet goals may make an appearance on next year’s list of objectives.

Levitt provides four steps to help ensure you meet your goals for the new year:

1. Set an “end goal”
The “end goal” or “results goal” is the larger objective you want to pursue. It could be an increase in revenue or assets under management (AUM), or a change in your business model. For some financial advisors, the end goal becomes the practice’s theme for the year, Levitt says.

One way to maintain this theme is to break down your end goal into monthly or quarterly goals. This will increase your chance of succeeding.

So, if you have decided you want to increase your AUM, you might set a monthly goal to attract at least one new client every month.

However, keep in mind that, depending on the nature of the goal, achieving it might not always be under your control. Economic fluctuations can make it difficult to reach specific financial targets.

2. Determine “activity goals”
After you have set your end goal, list smaller targets or “activity goals” that will keep you busy throughout the year. Some activity goals may be related to your end goal, as in the example above, and some may be completely different. Where your activity goal will differ from an end goal is that its success is more reliant on your own efforts.

For example, in addition to attracting a new client every month as you strive to reach your end goal, you also might want to strengthen your relationships with centres of influence (COIs). To do that, you might decide to have lunch with at least one COI every month.

Don’t go overboard in setting activity goals. Try sticking to five or six, and do not set more than 10, says Levitt: “After that, it gets too hard for tracking and you get pulled in too many directions.”

3. Keep your goals visible
In order to succeed, you need to create a system through which you are reminded of what you want to accomplish in your day-to-day schedule.

List your goals on a whiteboard or a sheet of chart paper, or record them digitally. Use a program that lets you set reminders. Try your computer or mobile phone’s calendar or an app such as Evernote, which allows you to create a to-do list and add a reminder function.

4. Review your goals regularly
Track your progress on a monthly basis. In addition to showing you what you have accomplished thus far, this step also allows you to make adjustments to help ensure you will meet your ultimate goal.

If, for example, you notice that you have fallen behind in your monthly lunches with COIs, you might decide to send an email to a few COIs to ask if they would like to go out for a drink after work.

This is the second part in a two-part series on yearend activities.

Click here for part one.