When this assignment crossed my desk a few weeks ago, I had no idea what a PACT goal was. I was familiar with SMART goals and had heard of FAST goals, but PACT goals? Nothing.
The only PACT I knew was a clothing company that haunts my social media feeds, trying to entice me to buy sustainable clothing.
Obviously, that is not this PACT.
This PACT, which is the acronym for Purposeful, Actionable, Continuous, and Trackable, is a goal-setting technique that focuses on output rather than the outcome. Created by Anne-Laure Le Cunff, you can read more about PACT Goals here.
As an output-driven creative writer, having this new type of goal technique fall into my lap was an exciting prospect. So, I checked out the PACT technique for this article and gave it a shot in my monthly content creation process. I was surprised by the results, and I’m sharing how I did it so you can see if this goal-setting technique might work for you and your business.
And best yet? We can use Hive to make it happen.
The meaning behind PACT goal setting
PACT is a goal technique that takes a result-oriented target and breaks it down into smaller, more manageable components. Using PACT allows you to work on something small but meaningful at every step in your process while having a clear purpose that sets the groundwork for your overall goal.
PACT broken down means the following:
P(purpose):
Purpose refers to clearly understanding why you want to achieve your goal. Your purpose aligns with your goals and helps you define what you are working toward, giving you a clear idea of what you are trying to accomplish.
A(actions):
This one speaks for itself. It’s all about taking action instead of planning so much to do in the future. While planning should be a part of your long-term strategic goals, sometimes jumping in and taking action might be just what works to stay organized and give you a sense of progress as you complete each action.
C(continuous):
This step is a reminder to stop spending so much time in the action and keep moving forward. More time on research as opposed to action can be stifling. Don’t give yourself a million goals. Don’t overthink your steps and paralyze yourself from moving forward.
T(trackable)
How far have you come? Have you been able to measure your goal in small bite-size steps? The trackable part of this goal process allows you to see how far you’ve come and how much further you have to go. So stay on track, and set a goal to keep you motivated and on track.
Now that we have broken down the steps to PACT, let’s fill you in on how I applied it to my real-world situation.
How I used PACT Goals for my monthly planning
When many of us think of business “goal planning,” we often focus on the long-term, lofty goals.
Goals such as “grow my revenue by 50% in the next five years” or “expand my business to five new locations” sound pretty lofty and strategic.
Unfortunately, these types of goals are often too far away or too massive in scope to try and accomplish right now.
While I would love to accomplish a long-term goal of growing my revenue by 50% in the next five years, I am, unfortunately, in the here and now.
And in the here and now, I need to focus on the actionable goals in front of me –which is why the following the PACT goal technique for myself this month was absolutely game-changing.
Setting up your work-related PACT goals
For the month I tried PACT, I was assigned eight different articles to write for one client over 30 days. So here is how I set up my PACT:
My Purpose:
First, I defined the purpose behind my goal. In this case, it was my goal to deliver eight high-quality articles. I had to ensure these articles were on-time, optimized, and well-written. At the beginning of my task, I created a clear purpose. I identified what I needed to deliver and prioritized my work accordingly.
My Action:
Next, I identified the specific actions I needed to take to achieve my goal. This started with me looking at the calendar and seeing how realistically I could fit all articles within the month.
After setting the timeline, I divided each article into smaller, more manageable components such as researching, outlining, drafting, and editing. I didn’t write a single piece over a specific day. Instead, I spread out the process of each article to ensure that each time I touched my content, it was actionable, and I could check it off my to-do list.
How I stayed Continuous:
This one was the most challenging step of PACT for me to follow. I had to consciously keep moving forward without being bogged down by perfectionism or overthinking. I knew that if I spent too much time on one piece of content, I would blow my timeline and miss the actions I set for myself. I concentrated on making continuous progress and setting realistic milestones and timelines for each one of my articles.
How I tracked:
Within the whole PACT process, the T phase was where I felt the most comfortable. Tracking my content progress and checking the completed projects off my list is a no-brainer. I can say that because I use Hive project management which is my go-to for project management and goal-setting. Hive has a goals-setting feature, 5 views to see my projects in any way I want, and reporting functionality, making it easier to visualize how far I have come and how much further I have to go. Hive helps keep me motivated and my productivity purring like a well-greased machine.
So what’s the verdict using PACT?
Following the PACT goal setting was a lovely change from picking random days to writing content and ensuring my content was done on time.
While I have previously set goals using the SMART method, I found that SMART goals were rigid and long-term. With PACT, I created very specific, realistic goals that were achievable in the short term, allowing me to stay focused and motivated.
I could focus on the output and action of my tasks, which forced me to check my progress, see
what I could improve, and keep me engaged.
Overall, I had great success using PACT. While I still delivered the same quality of work that I typically do without this Goal setting technique… I was more plugged into the progress and could stay focused, organized, and motivated throughout the writing process.