Goals are the way we give ourselves focus. They allow us to keep track of improvements and visualize success. Without goals, how do you know what you’re aiming for? And if you don’t know what you’re aiming for, how do you expect to get there?
Having a concrete goal means you can make a plan with detailed steps and and processes, increasing your productivity. Not to mention that there’s very little in the world that feels as good as reaching a goal.
This week we’re going to get into the specifics of setting goals and the best ways for you to maintain them.
Monday October 13th
It’s always important to look back at what you’ve already done. Both as a way to remind yourself of success and where you can improve things.
What are some goals you’ve met in the past? What contributed to your success? What threatened to hold you back? What would you do differently if you could go back?
How do these reflections affect how you’re going to approach goals in the future? Both setting and meeting them.
Tuesday October 14th
Before setting goals it is important to figure out what you find helpful and what could be detrimental. For instance, I do not respond well to open-ended goals. I find that without a deadline date they are too easy for me to put off. So I always set time limits on my goals, but others may find that stressful.
So, what types of goal do you respond to best? If you don’t know, what is your best guess?
Open-ended or set deadlines? Public or private? Regimented or free-form?
Do you like to plan rewards or celebrations ahead of time to motivate yourself?
Do you use vision boards? Trackers? Point systems?
Design your perfect goal type.
Wednesday October 15th
What are three short term goals you have? These can be set a few hours, a few days, or a few weeks from now. It depends on what you need right now.
How are you going to go about these goals? Are they reasonable and accomplishable? Sometimes it’s easy to expect too much from yourself. Goals are meant to be realistic, not an opportunity to set yourself up for failure.
Do your goals have personal meaning to you? How? Why?
Will they affect other people? How? Why?
What will keep you motivated as you pursue these goals?
Thursday October 16th
What are three long terms goals you have? These can be for weeks, months, or years from now. They can be about changing your mindset, your career, or your relationships. They can be about anything!
The most important thing about long term goals is that they accurately represent what you want. It can be hard knowing about the specifics of so far ahead. So these often take more insight into yourself.
Do you think these goals you’ve set will change over time? What do you have to do now, to follow through on that? What are your motivations?
Do your goals affect anyone else? How? Why?
Friday October 17th
How are you going to track your goals?
There are a lot of ways to do this, it all depends on what works best for you. Which may take some experimentation, but don’t be wary of that! Experimentation can be fun!
Will you use an app to track progress? Bullet journal to visualize progress? Vision boards to have the final stage in mind at all times? Discussions with a partner or family member?
Make sure to pick a way you know you can maintain.
Saturday October 18th
What will you do when you meet your goals?
Do you have rewards and celebrations in mind? Do those help motivate you?
Do you already have the next goal in mind? Will you take a break or strive ahead? Who will you tell?
Do you have a way to immortalize your success that you can look back on in the future for extra motivation and support? Do you purposefully not want to do that? Why?
Sunday October 19th
What will you do when you fail to meet your goals?
Should you reconsider the goals themselves or your commitment to them?
Will you confide in someone or just yourself? If you do want to confide, who will it be with and why? How could what they say positively or negatively affect your self image?
Will you set up more support for yourself? Will that be through yourself or others? Is there a community around that can help you accomplish what you’re going for?
No matter what you do, remember to be forgiving with yourself and to not set unrealistic goals.
Now that you’ve set some goals, do you feel more focused going forward? Or are you overwhelmed?
Goals are changeable as time goes by as well, so remember that setting them doesn’t mean they’re stuck the way they are. You are not trapped if you find you don’t like what you’ve decided before. You can always revisit and revise! It’s healthy to update your ideas and ideals as you grow as a person. Goals are as dynamic as we are as people.