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7 Ways To Set Goals And Stick To Them During This Crazy Season Of Life

Actually get stuff done.

Do you have something you’ve always wanted to do? A dream that you just don’t have the time to start cracking on? We all have those little things in the back of our minds that we just want to start, but we just don’t have any more time. Maybe for you that is getting back into school and starting a new career, maybe it’s writing a book or starting a blog, maybe you have an idea for a super awesome business, but you just don’t know where to start. In today’s article, I’m going to be talking about how you can start to make progress on those goals, and maybe even start achieving them.

Write Them Down

Now it doesn’t have to be a planner, though I am a big fan of using a planner to keep organized. Many advanced planners allow you to include meal plans, monthly goals, and your daily schedule. But you don’t have to write your goals down in a planner.  It can be on a pad of notebook paper or a spare note card you found under your bed. But by writing something down, it has a more permanent feeling. It helps us not to forget and serves as a physical and mental reminder. 

Start Small

It can be easy to see this big goal looming in the future and have no idea how to get there. But a big goal is just like when you used to get your syllabus for the semester in school. You would get more and more anxious as you looked at all the assignments, papers, presentations, and homework you had to get done. And you would get overwhelmed because you believed you had to get everything done right away, instead of realizing that these projects were spread out. You didn’t have to do them all at once; you just had to prepare for them as they came up throughout the semester.

So maybe you write out the steps you need to reach, the ultimate end goal, or just the things you want to accomplish this week, but then take a breath. Realize that you don’t have to do everything at once. Start by picking one thing today and going for it. 

Stop Wasting Extra Time

I know that it can feel great initially to say yes to another episode of Netflix, or to keep scrolling pointlessly through your Facebook feed for hours, but what are you missing out on in those hours? Now, I am not saying that you shouldn’t have down time, I am just saying that you need to be more intentional with that downtime. Try to figure out three or four areas where you waste time each week and think about how you might be able to manage your time better in those areas.

Set Intentional Downtime

Everyone needs to schedule in specific time to just rest and relax each week.  So maybe every Saturday afternoon is your time just to read a great book, binge out on Netflix, or take another nap. Maybe you schedule in an hour of downtime each day when you get home from work. Maybe it’s every other weekend. Just make sure that you stick to this set time, so you don’t spread yourself too thin. 

Set Monthly Goals

Once again, you want to start small, but you also want to feel like you are accomplishing something, anything. Monthly goals can help with that. Each month, set aside time, maybe during those wasted hours, to set monthly goals. These can be both big and small. So some of your monthly goals might be to finish that big project at work, start the baby nursery, cook three times a week, or join that gym you’ve been eyeing up. 

They can be personal goals as well like, only complaining x number of times a day, meditating for 5 minutes each week, or trying to compliment three people each day this month. These goals can be as specific or broad as you want them to be. Just make sure that you give yourself a gold star or check mark when you complete one!

Don’t Get Discouraged

It can be hard when you have days or weeks that you just feel like you aren’t getting much of anything done. Give yourself a break. Goals can be hard to achieve, and we are all going to have days when we slide back into our old habits or routines. We aren’t superwomen. Don’t get stuck believing the lie that you can do everything. The next time you are upset about not achieving your goals, give yourself grace. 

Have An Accountability Partner

The best way to get something done is to tell someone about it. Want to lose a certain amount of weight each month? Ask a friend to check on you to see if you went to the gym. Need to get started decorating your new apartment? Set a date and have some friends come over to help. If you have a dream that you’re too scared to utter aloud, just tell your mom about it. But by telling anyone, you will have someone who can check in on you to make sure it gets done or started.

I hope that these tips helped you if you are discouraged or looking for ways to accomplish more each month. I know you can do this! All you need is to push yourself a little to start.

 

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