Getting The Most Out Of Goal Setting

 While most people by now have forgotten or given up their New Year's Resolutions, there's something about February that makes me want to look ahead. Perhaps, it is because of the many celebrations taking place such as Lunar New Year, Imbolc, St Valentine's Day or even this year's early Lent. Whether you celebrate any of these events or none, it is hard to ignore the feeling of progress in the air. Outside, I can see the first early blooms of Spring and have been enjoying longer evenings before the sun sets. Personally, there have been an overwhelming amount of changes in my life, too. A new chapter begins...

A common way we humans like to impose a sense of control in our lives is to plan our futures by setting goals. Not all goals are created equal. Simply saying "I want to do this thing" and making no plan on how you might get there is a waste of your time. Yes, you will feel productive for planning to do something, but it isn't the same as actually taking the first step towards it. Do not fall into the trap of feeling more satisfied with your plans than with the resulting hard work. To help you avoid common pitfalls and make better, more focused plans that ACTUALLY WORK I've got some simple methods you can try. 

Define Your Time-Frame

Think about the time-frame of your goals. I am not as pedantic as to tell you to make your goals SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant & Time-Bound) as I am sure we are all having horrid school flashbacks. However, giving yourself a time-frame for your targets allows you to break down your progress day by day. For example, if you want to read 12 books in a year you can break it into one per month, 1/4 per week, 10-30 minutes reading time per day, give or take. You could calculate how many pages on average each day or week you would need to get through to reach your goal, whatever suits how your brain works best. 

Equally, if you just give yourself a vague "I want to learn the guitar" but don't have a showcase or special performance to work up to, you might lose interest and accept defeat without truly dedicating yourself to the study. Having one clear deadline should provide just enough pressure for you to keep motivated. When is the main deadline, what do you want to get done per week or month, what does this look like on a daily basis? 

Be Realistic

Breaking things down this way makes it so much more realistic. If your goal is to do the splits in 2 weeks, and you work out that in order to succeed you must stretch an extra 2cm each day but you work 9-5 and have small children to look after at evenings and weekends so you only have about 5mins each morning to warm up, stretch and cool down, then perhaps you need to lengthen your time-frame to be more achievable. I believe people can achieve almost anything if they put their minds to it but these goals must work with you, not against you. Think about if you can realistically do this thing every single day and make reasonable adjustments for that. Because when you shrink it down, achieving goals is 100% about being consistent. 

Keep it Flexible

I have a planner (my beloved Papier Diary *not a sponsor*) which reminds me to set new goals each month. This year, instead of setting 3-5 big dreams to achieve by the end, I wanted to introduce a new habit or practice each month. This prevents me getting overwhelmed and means I can focus on seasonal changes which suit me as my life changes. I have a rough idea of what goals I want to set myself each month according to the seasons and my own personal patterns of behaviour but I have room to change these and be flexible as necessary. For example, in January my goal was to get outside every single day. This is because I know I get low moods due to the dark and gloomy weather and getting out in nature is proven to do great things for your mental health. My goal for September is to read more books than usual as it tends to be a quieter month but I may find when I get to it that I am busy or require something different to benefit my life. At the end of the year I know I will be able to look back at all the things I have tried and achieved. 

Know Your Non-Negotiables

Having just advocated the importance of flexibility, I now want to talk about dedication. Nothing gets done without dedication and consistency. Achieving goals is NOT about motivation! You cannot expect yourself to feel motivated every day. BUT, if you make it a routine and a non-negotiable part of your day then you will not need motivation because you will have dedication. Let's say you want to write a book. Writing every day should be a part of your routine. Find a time that suits you best - if you start work early, write in the evening when you have more time. If your brain works best in the mornings and you have a short commute or work from home, get up early to write for a set amount of time each day. Your friends and family may ask "do you really have to?" but as long as working on your goals is causing nobody any harm then the answer is always "yes, I do." 

Create a Schedule

I write a blog once a week. This is my goal. Therefore, it is a non-negotiable that I carve out an hour of my week to write. This is very doable for me as a young adult with little other responsibilities. Sometimes, life gets busy and it is more challenging to find the time. My deadline is midnight on Sundays. Occasionally, I get a spark of motivation and write earlier in the week but I know myself well enough by now. Making a weekly timetable which includes blog writing is essential for me to keep track of all the things I want and need to do with my time. If you are struggling to be flexible in your timetable, you could have a set day or hour in which to work towards your dreams. However you work best is entirely up to you, so long as you get it done! I work best when I can see my time mapped out in front of me which is why I am wedded to my planner. 

Make it Fun!

There is no point in fully dedicating yourself to something you hate or will not benefit you. If your goal is fitness related but you hate exercise, try to say mantras like 'I am so lucky I get to work out today' to encourage a mindset shift. After a work out notice how energised you feel. After a few weeks, appreciate the improvement in your performance. Make sure to reward yourself for being committed and showing up time and time again. Rewards can come in many forms such as self-care activities, words of praise, sharing your progress with friends and loved ones, even something as small as ticking it off your list and saying kind words of encouragement to yourself can feel great. 

I hope that you all achieve what you set your minds to this year because you really can do it! Often, I want someone there to back me up and hold me accountable but at the end of the day these are my goals that I wish to achieve for my own benefit. YOU have to be your biggest cheerleader! Now all you have to do is stop planning and start doing! Good luck!