If you’re planning on changing careers in the near future, having goals and taking action will be critical to your success. The problem is that it’s not always easy to stay on track or to keep your momentum steady. Taking action is important just as planning and having the drive to succeed are necessary. In essence, the career changers who take action will see results.

You might wonder how do you stay on track and motivate yourself to keep working toward your career goals - especially when your job, relationships, college and family life get in the way. Well, there are some strategies that will motivate you more than others, so you’ll want to experiment and find what works best for you. Use the strategy that is most effective in keeping you on track.

Here are three techniques to help you to reach your career goals:

1. You probably have some pretty major career goals. And, if you’re like most people, a huge chunk of stuff to do can be overwhelming. However, if you break your career goals into smaller steps, they will seem much more attainable to you. For example if you’re taking graduate classes, instead of looking at a block of several years, count your courses instead. Then after you’ve completed a course, reward yourself for a job well done. By taking your goals and breaking them down into smaller tasks, you'll be more likely to stay on track. Lucky for you your rewards will happen much more often.

2. Know your limitations. Obviously you know everything there is to know about yourself, so use that info to your advantage and identify each of your limits. If you are likely to move slowly, you’ll know that the best approach for you is taking less time and taking much more action. You will also know that an accelerated course to get your project management certificate might not be the best idea for you. A slower paced more traditional course might work better for you. You’ll have to determine what works.

Be sure to consider too that if you are someone who decides to take on a lot in a very short period of time, a better approach might be to go slower so you don’t burn yourself out. You know what the magic formula is that will allow you to achieve your goals without causing yourself a great deal of stress. By using this approach, you’ll maintain your momentum and still take action.

3. Clear away any distractions or as many as possible. Sure life is full of messy stuff that gets in the way. No matter if you’re heading down a new career path or not, there will always be things that take your attention away from your goals. You will want to clear some of those diversions out of the way especially when you need to take action.

In other words, if you’re a social person, you might want to avoid the temptation of spending time with family and friends during the time you’ve allotted for work. And, steer clear of your cell phone, the net and anything else that might veer you off course.

Know what works best for you and you’ll be able to stay on track and stay motivated. Remember to experiment to find out what really motivates you. Take small steps and be sure to reward yourself often. That way you’ll want to stay on track and it won’t be as painful a process as it could be that’s for sure.

Are you having difficulties staying on track and attaining your career goals? Whether you’re just starting out, graduating from college or making a midlife career change, if you are focused on the day-to-day rather than your goals, you’ll want to read on. There are some great strategies that will help to keep you motivated and on track to a great career change.

Here are three techniques that will help you to reach your career goals:

1. Find an activity that energizes and invigorates you. This is important when you reach the time in the day when you’re dragging. You might have a tough time in the morning because you’re a night owl. It could be that you have trouble getting your engines started mid morning, or maybe it's the afternoon that leaves you exhausted.

If you identify an activity that reenergizes you, you won’t be as likely to lose steam. For instance, yoga, running or an exercise routine might revive you. Whatever – find a way to increase your heart rate and send fresh oxygen to that brain of yours. Not only will you be refreshed, you will also be able to think more clearly and feel even more like doing your work.

2. Get help with your career change. Ask for advice or assistance from others who have made a successful career change. There is only so much you can do on your own. Of course there are some things that you will have to tackle on your own, but if there is a way for you to get help be sure to ask.

3. Keep a calendar and a very tight schedule. If you have a schedule and a well organized plan, it will help you to stay motivated and on track to reach your goals. Say you’re interested in getting your CPA credential and you’re in the initial planning phase of your goals; be specific about what you need to do, what resources you need and when you need to do it for the greatest success. This helps you in several different ways: 1) you always know where you’re going; 2) when you complete one of the tasks you’ve scheduled, you celebrate; 3) you no longer need to guess about next steps – you already know what comes next.

Set your sights on success and take planned and purposeful actions. If you stay motivated and on track, you will reach your goals.