What does the New Year have that we all feel tempted to set these big great goals? They are so big and so great that we know deep down we aren’t going to reach them – and we know that almost the minute we set them!
Did you know that nearly 1 in 5 people sets a resolution to get healthy in the New Year? Some want to live a healthier life, and others just want to lose weight. That all sorts of Christmas sweets and treats are one of the reasons to come up with the “this-year-is-really-when-I’m-going-to-lose-weight” goal is another story. And how many of those healthy goals stay after a couple of months – or weeks? Not many.
We consider the first days of the brand new year as the chance to start fresh ourselves. We’re motivated to make changes. To leave everything useless and stressful behind. Until it happens. Once our work and life obligations show up, daily habits come back from their well-deserved holidays. And they come to stay. Again! So we keep postponing those goals we were so hyped about a couple of days ago. Until we forget them. And wait for yet another year to set new goals.
3 Easy Steps to Stick to Your Personal Growth Goals
Not only health and fitness resolutions get lost. Also goals related to personal growth – like starting a new career or going freelance – get forgotten. It doesn’t really matter what kind of project you want to tackle. If you want to get it done, just follow these 3 really easy steps to stick to your plan. This is the only way to finally set different New Year’s resolutions come December!
Step #1. Set realistic goals. Yep. Coming up with huge undoable tasks isn’t going to take you much further than next week. And the same happens with setting up too many goals. And hey, I’m not trying to have you lower your aspirations! Not at all! But if you’re reading this post right now, you’ve probably struggled with undone projects in the past. Am I right? So why not give you the chance to reach a smaller goal and, if you still find the time, overachieve?!
Step #2. Divide your goals into small steps. Planning for the whole year can feel very gratifying, as it lets you feel in control of your time – for a whole year! The thing is that we never know how the months ahead are going to look like – heck, think of 2020! Who would have told us that it was going to end up like it did, right?
So take your goals and make a list with as many steps as you need to reach those goals. The trick here is really dissecting the steps so that they become mini-tasks. In this way, you’ll find it easier to find time in your busy days to tick tasks off your list.
Step #3. Give yourself a timeline. Once you are aware of everything you need to achieve your goal, it’s time to get your planner! If you’d rather use a digital tool, by all means! I love Asana, but feel free to choose the tool that you prefer. Next, find a time slot for every single mini-task that you have on your list. And make sure you treat those time slots as you would treat any other appointment. This is an appointment with yourself, baby, so don’t let yourself down!
Bonus Step to Keep Youself Accountable
I added this last bit of info as a bonus and not as a regular step because I wanted you to realize how important it is to keep yourself accountable. So no matter if you talk to a friend about your goal and about how far you are in completing your mini-tasks, or if you’re just on your own – check this last bonus step:
At the end of each week, look back and check if you’re still on track with your big goal for the year. If you are, keep going! If you aren’t, go through your mini-tasks again and adapt them to your lifestyle – but without losing sight of your big goal.
So there you have it! Easy, right? You just have to set a realistic goal, divide it into mini-tasks, write them into your calendar, and review it every single week!
So tell me… What are your goals for this year?*
* If your answer was starting a freelance business, the free Roadmap to Self-Employment may help you! And if you have any questions, feel free to write them in the comments section below 😉
