Let’s face it, it’s that time of year where it’s almost impossible to avoid the topic of setting goals or resolutions! Maybe you’re reflecting on the past year and now looking forward to the things that you want to accomplish in the coming year. At the beginning of every year, I always try and set myself some goals that I would like to achieve in my work, my creative and my personal life. Whether or not I achieve them is a different matter but here are some simple steps that might help you realise your goals at the beginning of not only this new year but also this new decade. Give them a read and see if any might work for you…
Set your goals!
It’s a good starting point right? Set your goals for the coming year. They will be specific to you and can be anything that you want them to be. One piece of advice is to try to make them realistic. Your goals should stretch you but still be achievable. I tend to try and set no more than 7 or 8 major goals for the year any more and I think I would be overwhelmed but it’s all person-specific and depends on what the goals are of course.
Write your goals down!
I find when I write a goal down it becomes more real and somewhat tangible. I put those goals somewhere that I can review them every day. I have a notebook where I write my goals down and can add notes to each goal. I find as long as I am seeing them every day it makes me more likely to take action towards achieving them. I feel guilty if I haven’t done something towards achieving the goals I set for myself. Seeing the goals written down makes me accountable for them.
Make a Plan of Action!
Once I have my list of major goals written down I track backwards. I go back from the major goals and try and establish the things I can or need to do to achieve each one. By breaking down the major goal into smaller more bite-sized steps the goal becomes more achievable and less daunting. What are the things you need to do to get to the final goal? Listing or brainstorming those things can help you establish a plan of action of things that you can do to make a start. Smaller monthly targets and daily actions that will help you reach your overall target for the year.
Keep on track!
Get into the habit of doing a regular review on how you’re doing. It can be easy to get sidetracked by life and other stresses so by reviewing your goals and your actions towards those goals regularly you can hold yourself accountable. Have you done all you set out to do today or this week or this month? Check your plan of action. If you don’t review your daily, weekly or monthly goals it can be easy to let your final goal slip. Keep on track!
Get support!
I will admit that I’m not the greatest at this and it’s something I want to improve on in the new year. I’m normally of the mentality of setting goals in silence and when you achieve them they can be common knowledge but I read an article recently that said ‘you will achieve more of your goals if you share your progress and ideas with others’. I guess it’s about accountability again and knowing that others are tracking your progress too. I guess no-one wants to be seen to fail!
I think it’s important to have supportive people around you who will encourage you to reach your goals and perhaps challenge you with different ideas etc that you might not have come to on your own. So I will definitely be taking this advice this year but I would also say… Choose your team wisely!
Every single day counts!
If you can do something every day towards your goal no matter how big or small sooner or later you will get there. It’s a marathon and not a sprint! Remember that! When you look at others who have been successful, remember that they’ve probably worked for years to get where they are. They have put in the time with their own goals and are reaping the rewards of their effort. Don’t compare your Chapter 1 with someone else’s Chapter 30.
That seems like a good ending of a blog post or a good starting point of achieving your goals haha! there are 365 days in a year and there are 24 hours in all of our days so it just comes down to how you use them I guess.
Happy New Year and I hope 2020 is amazing and you achieve everything that you want to achieve and more. Stay focused on your goals!