Whether it’s a brand new year or a random Tuesday, there’s never a wrong time to set goals for yourself. If you’re like me, you set big goals at the beginning of each year, and then set smaller goals every month. I’ve found this is a good way to ensure I’m making progress and working hard all year long. But sometimes when we set goals, we struggle to achieve everything on those to-do lists that seem never-ending. To help, I’m sharing my tips on how to set goals and how to achieve them every single time:
1. CHOOSE GOALS THAT FEEL RIGHT.
When you set goals for yourself, you should also make sure those goals feel good to you. Your goals should be in alignment with how you want to feel in your life and what you’re hoping to accomplish. When you set goals that don’t feel right, you’re going to be more likely to push it to the bottom of your to-do list. And when you do finally work on those things, you’re going to resent it every step of the way. Think about how you want to feel in your life and make sure you choose goals that will foster those feelings. Remember that your goals should be in alignment with your bigger vision.
2. SET A DEADLINE.
Having a deadline in place is so important when you set goals. Think about it. If you don’t give a certain task a deadline, how likely will you be to complete it in a timely fashion? Odds are, you’ll keeping putting it off because you haven’t given yourself a time frame to accomplish it. When you set goals, give yourself a deadline that is realistic. Don’t try to accomplish a huge project in a short time frame if you don’t think you can manage it. Give yourself ample time to complete your goals. You never want to feel stressed or rushed to get something done. On the other hand, if you give yourself too long of a deadline, it may not be enough of a push to achieve your goal. Your deadline should provide you with enough time to accomplish whatever you want, but still give you a push to get things done.
3. TURN YOUR GOALS INTO SMALLER, ACTIONABLE STEPS.
When you set goals, it’s best to break them up into smaller, actionable steps instead of just looking at the big picture. You can measure your progress as you complete the smaller steps and eventually tick that big goal off your list. Accomplishing anything will seem much less daunting this way.
For example, let’s say you want your blog to reach 100,000 pageviews per month by the end of the year. That’s an awesome goal to have, but how will you make that happen? Try setting smaller goals for yourself such as hitting 50,000 pageviews first, then 70,000, and so on. Create a step-by-step plan of tasks you need to do to get your blog to that level. Maybe you’ll want to block off a half-hour every day to leave comments on other blogs. Or maybe you’re planning to commit yourself to five guest posts per month to send more traffic to your site. Whatever it may be, break your bigger goal up into actionable tasks that will help you achieve that big dream of yours. Even better? Set a deadline for those smaller tasks to keep you on track!
Download my free Goal Setting Workbook to help you turn your goals into actionable tasks!
4. REWARD YOURSELF.
A little positive reinforcement is a good push to keep working toward your goals. Reward yourself when you’ve hit a milestone on the way to achieving your bigger goals. It’s a great way to stay motivated and to remind yourself that you are making progress, even if it doesn’t always seem like it.
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5. KEEP TRACK OF YOUR PROGRESS.
Speaking of which, when you set goals, it’s also a good idea to keep track of your progress along the way. Check in with your goals on a regular basis to see how things are coming. Are things going the way you’d hoped? Are you getting things done in a timely fashion? Or have you found that you’re actually falling behind? Or maybe you’re even ahead of schedule? (Go you!) By keeping track of your progress, you’ll be more likely to stay on track toward meeting every single one of your goals.
Check in with your progress on a weekly or monthly basis. Make note of the things you struggled with and what came easily so you’ll know what deserves more time and attention the next time around.
6. STAY MOTIVATED.
Sometimes it’s easy to get discouraged as you work toward achieving your goals, especially if you don’t see the results as quickly as you would like. But it’s important to remember that you must continue to work hard and keep going if you want to accomplish anything. There are a variety of ways you can stay motivated throughout the process, such as rewarding yourself along the way. However, if you find that you prefer to have someone by your side, pushing you and lending their support, consider finding an accountability partner.
An accountability partner will motivate you, encourage you, and maybe even pester you a bit when you’re slacking. (Just as long as you do the same for them!) When you have someone to give you that extra push, you don’t want to let them down. It’s a good motivator to work harder and stay on track. Plus, your accountability partner will always be there to offer help and advice when you need it.
Related: 4 PERFECT WAYS TO WRITE YOUR GOALS
WHAT TIPS CAN YOU SHARE ON HOW TO SET GOALS AND ACHIEVE THEM?
