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I wanted to avoid the normal deep stuff people write at the end of a year. Things like how hard the year was or how it threw unexpected things our way, but we got through it and next year will be the year, etc. Of course, 2020 taught me some things, but honestly, one of the significant things I learned this year was that I am horrible when it comes to setting goals.
At the end of 2019, I had a list of rules I wanted to follow for 2020. I set broad goals for the year centered around those rules and each month I set smaller goals that should’ve helped in reaching my goals for the year. I further broke some of my monthly goals down by setting habits that would help me achieve my monthly goals. That sounds like a solid plan for goal setting. However, I think my problem was that I set too many goals and had too many focuses. Most of the time I didn’t remember what my goals were because I set so many.
At the end of this year, I sat down to review my year. I am a big journaler (I know that’s not a word), so I had a tangible way of seeing how my year went and what things I accomplished. I did a YouTube video where I showed viewers the specifics of everything I kept track of. Click here to watch that video.
After going through my bullet journal and even my diary, I could see where I went wrong in my goal setting and how I tried to achieve them. I researched goal setting and successfully set achievable goals for this year. Here are some tips I followed to set better goals.
1. Don’t set too many goals
While goals are great, too many will spread your focus while adding pressure and frustration on you. With too many focuses, you’re bound to only reach a couple and you may even forget some goals. Too many goals also make you think that some goals are completely different from each other when one goal might help you achieve the other.
2. Set goals that can be broken down into steps
Goals should not be too broad, nor too specific. Goals that are too broad have no focus and can be difficult to break down into steps. Having steps, or an action plan, encourages goal achievement. Broad goals are helpful when they are long term. Goals that are too specific leave no wiggle room for adjustments. You never know what life may throw your way or what circumstance you may find yourself in, therefore, making adjustable goals is key. Also, if a goal is too specific, it’s most likely an action step. For example, last year I set a monthly goal to make up my bed every day while having another goal to keep my bed area neat. Making up my bed was more of an action step on how I was going to keep my bed area neat.
3. Make routines
Routines are extremely beneficial when followed every day. Some of the health benefits of routines include stress relief, better sleep, and effective use of time. Routines help with achieving goals because routines become habitual. Habits are a great way to implement steps or action plans. As mentioned in the last point, I set a goal to keep my bed area neat. I made and followed a morning routine that gave a specific time to tidying my room. When I followed the routine faithfully, tidying up the room in the morning became a habit, and I was successful in achieving that goal.
Other advice worth mentioning…
Before setting goals, evaluate your past and present experiences or situations. What worked before, where do you need improvements, etc. goals should be measurable and realistic. Keep the wording of your goals positive. A goal is something you’re striving toward, instead of something you’re trying to remove or want less of. i.e, instead of setting a goal of spending less time on social media, maybe try setting a goal to spend more time (fill in the blank).
Helpful resources: