One More Time:

Here we are once again, my dear hosts … The start of a NEW year! A clean slate, you might say…The holidays are officially over, and hopefully… yes, hopefully, ALL your decorations have been brought down, packed up, and have been properly placed back into storage…. Clean slate.

You might be triple checking your Airbnb dashboard, wondering when is your next guest arriving, and wondering how many bookings you have come down the pike… After all, for many of us, the slow season is here… For others, like my lovely friends down under, you might be in the middle of your HIGH season.

Regardless, everything you read or watch, be it on TV or internet, it’s all about making resolutions and setting goals for the new year.

It can be overwhelming… In the sense that you feel you must do something… or at least something different.

The truth is, whether you set new goals or you decide to just go with the flow… We do tend to want to start the NEW year trying to shake things up.

Many of you, as you hear this episode, just might be heading over to the gym… Getting that beach body ready, one more time.

You might have started that best selling novel that has been simmering inside of you for the last 10 years… and I say GO FOR IT!

Perhaps you’ve started getting up an hour early to do a new morning routine… maybe a little meditation, to clear the mind before the hustle and bustle of the day, preparing yourself some lemon water, … or maybe getting up a tad early to read one of those 52 books they’re recommending to read this year…

Whatever kind of person you are… Achiever, Overachiever or just a chill and relax type of person… You can’t deny it’s that time of year:

Let the goal setting, BEGIN!!

Do You Maintain Them?

What’s going to happen come mid-February… Will they know your name at the gym? Will you be optioning your best selling novel to Steven Spielberg? Will you be reading the next New York Time’s best seller?

If the answer is, yes… Well if it’s yes… Please contact me. I’d LOVE to feature you on my “Hot Mic” series.

If you’re like most of us… Who kind of lose sight… You might want to listen to today’s episode because we’re not only talking about goal setting, but also about keeping those goals. Staying focused and achieving them. No excuses.

Listen, I know it’s difficult to stay on track in today’s world… But if we’re going, to be honest with ourselves… it’s one thing to set up a goal in your mind, it’s another to actually execute it and achieve it.

So, keep listening… Who knows, next years “must read the novel” just might be YOURS!

Today, I’m going to be talking about “How to Set and Keep Exciting, yet Practical Goals, for Your Airbnb.”

Some people have big goals, like “I’m going to lose 30 pounds in 30 days.” Call me, and let me know how that works out. Or “I’m going to make six figures in six months with Airbnb. Especially, if you haven’t even listed in the first place…Again, call me, and let me know how that works out.

What is a Goal?

But let’s start at the beginning. What’s a goal? Yes, I’m gonna get all technical for a second. According to Merriam Webster, a goal is: ”The end toward which effort is directed.” But what does that mean? And that’s a good question.

An article at fast Company stated: “A goal is a brief, clear statement of an outcome to be reached within a timeframe.”

It does not say how to do something, but rather what the results will look like. Now some common business goals are: grow profit margins, maximize net income, improve customer loyalty, etc.

They’re not telling you how to get there… That’s on the goal setter… You know, like… How are YOU going to grow profitability, or how are you going to maximize net income. Again, that’s on you the ALL on the goal setter.

You may have heard of SMART goals. SMART is a mnemonic acronym, and it stands for

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Realistic
• Time-bound

For example, with your Vacation Rental, your goal might be…

I’m going to increase my marketing by adding my listing in these additional platforms beyond Airbnb and creating a website within the next two months. You see it's Specific, Measurable, It’s Achievable.  It’s Realistic. And it’s Time-bound

Now, remember, a project can mask itself as a goal but it might not be an actual goal. Think about that.

Is it a Goal or a Project?

Per Todd Herman... Goals tell you why. Projects tell you what. Goals are accountable to the desired result.

Projects are accountable to a specific deadline. The goal is more the dream outcome you would like to experience.

Why do you want to increase your vacation rental marketing? Because you want to make more money. No brainer.

You’re figuring HOW to create this increase… This is actually a PROJECT… Not a goal. They seem the same but they’re different.

A project will help your business… A goal will transform your business and YOU.

Keeping Your Goals:

But how do we keep our goals beyond January…Gretchen Rubin from the Happiness Project created a personality framework. Gretchen identified four types of personalities. And here are the definitions per her site:

• Upholders respond to outer and inner expectations.
• Questioners question all expectations; they’ll meet an expectation if they think it makes sense–.
• Obligers… meet outer expectations but struggle to meet expectations they impose on themselves.
• Rebels they resist all expectations, outer and inner alike.

What does this have to do with YOU and goal setting? Well, it has to do with goalkeeping… The hardest part of the equation.

How I Keep My Goals:

Me – I’m an Obliger: I’ll keep my work deadline and will be accountable to outside sources because I know this about myself. I work around it to make sure I keep my goals.

And how do I do that?

When I want to workout and maintain a level of health, I sign up with a group, a team… And I’ll take that a step further. Why? It keeps ME accountable.

Last year, I signed up to do a triathlon. It was an amazing experience that landed me in Cuba with the TriLatino team for this event last February. I could’ve bailed… and many times I almost did, but I didn’t. Why? I was accountable to others.

For my business, I have Amber de La Garza, who I featured in my podcast, Episode 21: “Productivity Made Easy For Your Airbnb”. Amber is my productivity coach. I tell her my ideas, goals, plans, and projects, and she keeps me accountable.

I’m also part of a mastermind group. We meet via Skype every Saturday and discuss business. We have been meeting and talking for almost three years now. And once a year we meet in person to discuss our plans and goals for the next year.

I do all of this because time will pass, and before I know it I’m facing July and I will not have taken any steps towards any of my goals.

I need to be accountable… I need a team, a coach, a group. I’m a Proud Obliger… I need accountability!

Now if you’re a rebel, you’re going to do what you want to do. Hence, rebel… And I’m not going to tell you to go take this personality test. Unless of course, you want to. Be a rebel and go to the hosting journey.com slash 29.

Goals for Your Airbnb:

I have a friend who has bought sheets and curtains and has the extra bedroom all set up, she renovated her house; has it all planned it out. Her sister, who is an Airbnb host, went and helped her with the setup. It’s great to have a team… and a sister. Yet, her listing isn’t live yet. Why? I have no idea.

If this is you… Are you fearful of the unknown? Thinking that you need one more thing? That it might NOT be perfect? Make it a goal to get out of your own head… And get your listing up and running. NOW!

Following the Smart goal setting, My listing will be up and running by… February 10th. Set and DO IT!

If you want a list of the sheets, towels, and products I use at my Airbnb, go to theostingjourney.com/essentials. Note that some of the products and companies are affiliate links, which means I get a commission at no additional cost to you.

Yes, this page was one of my projects on one of my goals.

Increase Your Bookings:

If your goal is to increase your bookings…by 20%. Some projects to help you attain this goal can be:

• Create a website for your Vacation Rental.
• List in other platforms beyond Airbnb. And you can listen to episode 20: How to Use Booking.com by an Experienced Host to help you.
• Create a social media marketing campaign.

All of these projects can help with this goal.

Increase Your Income:

• You don’t need to create another Airbnb unless you want to.
• You can offer an experience
• You can co-host
• You can also raise your prices

And this is different from increasing your bookings because you’re making money beyond your listing.

How Many Goals are Too Many?

One way to keep your goals from getting out of control is to work on one at a time… If you can multi-task, then go for two or more… But don’t overdo it. If you get involved with too many, chances are you won’t finish any.

You also want to know what is working. If you’re doing some Facebook ads and also Instagram and you’ve never done any advertising, it can be overwhelming.

Or if you’re starting out in the vacation rental world but you want to start on all the platforms, including Booking.com. It can also overwhelming, and you can burn out.

If you feel overwhelmed, go to my Facebook group: The Hosting Journey. We’re always there to help out and answer questions. To join, just go to thehostingjourney.com slash community.

Write it Down:

An extra tip for you is to write down your goal or goals… and keep it somewhere in your home or office where you can see it… and see it every day as a reminder… See it, be it… And make time on your calendar for it. If you don’t schedule it, it will not happen.

Trust me, you’ll be glad you did this time next year. Make it easy to attain that goal.

You can start small… But just START!

Your Host,

Evelyn

Links:

Some of the links mentioned are affiliate links. if you choose to make a purchase, I may earn a commission. Commissions come at no additional cost to you.

Gretchen Rubin – NYTimes Bestseller Author of The Four Tendencies, Better Than Before, The Happiness Project, and Happier at Home. The four tendencies quiz.

Todd Herman – Entrepreneur and high-performance coach/advisor. Creator of the 90 Day Year Program.

PS: Want more…