Are you ready to crush this new year, complete with goals and resolutions and the good attitude to back them up? Or are you feeling a little jaded, a little bit skeptical of this whole New Year’s resolutions thing? Maybe you’re somewhere in between. Or maybe you’re a slacker like me who likes the idea of setting goals but doesn’t usually put in the time to actually do it.

 

I know if I was a master at goal setting I would have had my goals in order back in 2018. Alas, I’m not. I did give them some thought (thanks to the amazing retreat I went on in November) and I may even have jotted a few down in a notebook somewhere. But, it wasn’t until yesterday, January 1st, that I actually sat down with my pretty new planner and did some serious goal work.

The end of the year is such a hectic time it’s hard to carve out time for something as intangible as goal-setting. So, if you haven’t gotten around to it yet you’re not alone and it’s not too late. I like to think of the first two weeks of January as a grace period. Life settles down a little and you might actually get the quiet time you need to think about life and what you want out of it.

Goal Setting Made Simple

1. Write them down.

Yes, that’s it. Write those goals down. Write down the big goals and the little goals and all the ones in between. When was the last time you wrote down your goals? Not a to-do list or an agenda but an honest-to-goodness list of things you want to do with your life.

Take some time to sit and think about what you really want. Allow yourself to dream a little, reflect a little. Don’t get distracted by what you think you should want or what you used to want. Ask yourself what you want now.

You can feel grateful for where you are now and all you have accomplished and still think about what’s next. Think about big areas in your life- love, family, career, health, friendship, personal growth. What area needs a little extra attention? Start there if you’re having trouble thinking of goals.

If you want to take it a step further…

• Write a Lifetime/Big Goals list. This is the list where you pour your heart out on paper and write down everything you want to do in life without letting what sounds silly or seems impossible hold you back. Have a dream of dancing on Broadway? Write it down. Always wanted to run a marathon even if you’ve never made it around the block? Write it down.
• Pick 3 Big Goals. Go back over your list and pick 3 big goals to focus on this year. These should be more realistic (but don’t sell yourself short!) and more manageable (something you could conceivably accomplish in a year). You can also break down a really big/lifetime goal into a smaller part for this year. So, for example, if your big goal is to lose 100 pounds and you know that it might take more than one year to do it in a healthy way, make your big goal for this year to lose 50 pounds.
• Check in on your goals. Each month look back at that list. Just like a new year seems like a natural time to set goals, each new month will be a natural time to check in on those goals. Ask yourself if you’re doing what you need to do to meet them. Too often we set goals (or make resolutions) and our enthusiasm peters out after a while. Keep those goals in mind by coming back to your list.

And further…

• Write action steps. Take each goal and break it down into action steps. Write down what you need to do to reach those goals. Most goals can’t be tackled all at once.
• Create monthly goals. Each month write down what you want to get done that month that will bring you closer to reaching your goals.
• Then weekly goals. Each week do the same thing. What habits can you practice, what tasks can you check off that will help get you there?
• Then daily goals. What can you do today to work towards your goal? Make a phone call, exercise for 30 minutes, declutter for 15 minutes, make a list of local schools to contact, etc. These kinds of small tasks will have a big impact over time.
• Reward yourself. Set milestones when you will celebrate your accomplishments. Be proud of your work and progress.

Why Setting Goals is Important

• Life is busy. It is very easy to get caught up in the hamster wheel of day-to-day life. Most of us won’t have time to sit and think about the bigger picture unless we make that time. Don’t live life like it’s the movie Groundhog Day.
• Life is full of distractions. Now more than ever. When we have downtime it’s tempting to turn to our phones or Netflix. There is always something we could be doing. We are busier than ever with our own schedules and managing life in a world that runs at a faster pace.
• There’s a good chance no one is going to ask you what you want from life. So ask yourself. It’s not just about work and school and soccer and dinner and dance and camp and that one big vacation you plan each year. What “more” do you want?
• It’s easy to put things off or wave them off with a vague notion of getting to it later. It’s easy to think of a goal quick- lose weight!- and tuck it away in the back of your mind where it will or will not surface periodically. Writing it down, committing it to paper makes it more real. And keeps you more accountable.
• Most of us don’t live in a world where we’re encouraged to think deeply about stuff. Big corporations often have “mission statements” and “visions” and mottoes and things like that. We don’t think for our selves like that. Maybe you took a class or suffered through a workshop where you had to do some reflection. It probably felt stupid and hokey and uncomfortable. Make yourself do something like that.
• It’s concrete. Having a physical list of goals makes it more likely you’ll meet those goals, more likely they won’t just drift off into space until next January 1st.
• Meeting goals and accomplishing things will bolster your confidence and improve your self-esteem. Even if you’re pretty confident and good at the whole loving-yourself thing who couldn’t use a little boost now and again?
• It sets a good example. Let your kids see you working on your goals. Show them that life isn’t about becoming a grown-up and then stopping there and living out your days in the same old way until retirement. Life is about making the most of it.

So…sit down and get to it. Want to share one of your goals for 2019? You share yours and I’ll share mine!

 

 

 

 

 

P.S. Subscribe to my blog and you’ll receive a great daily planner printable! Perfect for doing things each day that will keep you in alignment with those goals 🙂