Goal setting is an incredibly important practice for our lives. We set goals in order to advance in our careers, learn new skills, pursue passions, get fit and much more. Unfortunately, keeping track of all the smaller steps needed to achieve goals is often difficult. Actually achieving all of the steps and thus the goal is even harder, without some form of external motivation.
That’s where the site WorkSimple comes in. WorkSimple is a social goal-setting and tracking application where users set goals and then share the goals with their peers. This creates a sense of accountability, allowing for the achievement of more goals. WorkSimple offers applications for both businesses and individuals, although this review is focused solely on the individual application. Read on to learn more about the capabilities of WorkSimple and what I thought of it.
The Basics
WorkSimple is arranged so that you first set up a “focus” and then set up specific goals within that focus. That being said the first step is to, of course, get your focuses set up. Throughout the process of setting up your account, it is important to remember that even though WorkSimple offers a personal version of the program, it is definitely still focused more on career-oriented goals and focuses than anything else. When you set up a focus, then, it asks you to name the focus and then “describe how this focus helps your career.” Focuses are typically more general things that help your life or career in general. The site provides examples, all career-related. Of course, you do not have to stick to career focuses and this site is really usable for personal focuses as well.
Creating the first overarching focus.
Once you set up a focus, you are prompted to add some goals to the focus. The goals are the smaller, more concrete tasks that you must accomplish in order to get the focus that you set out for yourself. For example, my focus involved creating a portfolio of certain animations. The goals I put then included specific tasks – certain animations or skills I need to master before I can master the focus.
Adding a goal to my first focus.
After adding the goals and focuses, it is important to keep track of things and keep everything up to date. Luckily, it is easy to edit, customize and add to focuses and goals. You can quickly and simply set pictures for goals and focuses, edit descriptions, have conversations with peers and clients and add/attach files to the appropriate goal or focus. You are also able to mark goals as complete, showing progress made towards the ultimate focus.
Editing a goal.
Social Goals
Up to this point, WorkSimple probably doesn’t seem like anything special. There are tons of apps out there to allow you to set overarching goals with specific steps to accomplish the goals. You could just use a pen and paper, for that matter. The true innovation for WorkSimple, then, lies in the social aspects. Once you have the focuses and goals set up, it is time to really try WorkSimple.
Goals are easy to share with friends – the number one choice in sharing is LinkedIn as WorkSimple does definitely focus more on career goals. Twitter is also an option, however, so I’m sure Facebook and maybe a few more options aren’t too far behind. To share, just click the appropriate link and then the goal is posted to the social network of choice.
Sharing an individual goal via Twitter.
If you wish to share more than one goal at a time, it is easy to do so. This just means you need to share a “report.” A report is geared towards presenting multiple goals (of your choosing) from the one focus. The report is then shared in the same way, presented to those in your social networking realm. You can also share goals and reports via email.
Creating a report to share multiple goals with my peers.
Once a goal or report is shared, you get to kick back and relax while you wait for the social part of social goals to take effect. Once co-workers, your boss or even just your friends see the goals you shared, they can begin to interact with the goals. Your peers can do a couple of things. First, they can endorse goals. They can also “like” goals and focuses and even comment on the goals. This is a great way to receive feedback and support for the goals that you have set, inspiring you to keep pushing towards the finish line.
Waiting for feedback on my first set of goals.
Final Thoughts
WorkSimple seems to do a pretty great job overall. The design is decently nice, it is generally easy to understand what’s going on and I was able to do everything the site promised. I really appreciate the social goals aspect of things, as I like the accountability that comes from having friends and co-workers aware of goals that you have set and are actively working towards. I like the details that you are able to add to the goals – from attaching files to pictures and descriptions.
I do wish that the personal edition offered some features that were a bit less career oriented, as I can definitely see the site having great potential for individuals working on personal goals. The social goals are great, regardless of whether the focus is on career or personal life. In that same vein, WorkSimple should continue to expand the social network possibilities. This makes the site more usable for the individual working on non-career related goals.
All in all, WorkSimple is a great site. I plan to continue using the service to track both personal and career related goals and I look forward to input from my peers as I work towards the ultimate focuses. As always, I want to hear from you now. Have you tried the site? Did you use it for individual uses or as part of a corporation? Share your thoughts on WorkSimple below.