How To Prioritize And Achieve Your Goals
It’s never too late for goal creation or getting back on track to work towards the goals previously set. For many New Years Resolutions were made and the hype of achieving them has worn down. This isn’t to say that those goals are less important or unachievable––because they are very much so able to happen if they are prioritized. If you set a New Year’s goal or have a goal that you want to set, here are tips to achieve them.
Identify Your Goal
The most important tips, which may seem obvious, is to identify your goal. Be as specific as possible when doing so. If your goals is “success” or “to be XYZ,” break that idea down. What is your idea of success? What will that look like? Is it a certain job? Receiving a specific amount of money per pay period? Brining home an award? Once you have identified the specifics of your goals, it becomes easier to work towards them. One of my general goals is to become an author. And so, for 2021 I am writing a manuscript. By the end of the year I want to have a completed one (with revisions from my agent) where I feel comfortable and confident sending those words and chapters to editors.
Schedule Time To Review Them
Continuing with my example goal––in order for my manuscript to be completed, I need to sit down and work on it. This is the same with any goal. In order to make progress, you mist first begin and then maintain the work. Create a regular and reasonable schedule for you to show up and pursue this. Are you going to have monthly check ins? Weekly? Quarterly? What makes sense with your life and learning style? Once you have that figured out, schedule it in your calendar and show up with a piece of paper or your laptop to take notes and review your progress.
Talk About Your Goals With Someone
It can be helpful to talk about your goals with someone. This adds as later of accountability that we don’t have with ourselves. Other people are able to find excitement from our ideas/goals and that will naturally lead to conversations, holding us accountable. If you have the support, share your goal with a loved one and ask if you two can start talking about it. If you don’t feel comfortable or want to share your goals with loved ones, coaches and therapists are a great resource. They will keep you on track and support you where you need it , in order for your goals to happen.
Create a Plan To Achieve Them
The second most important aspect of achieving your goal is to create a plan to achieve them. For my manuscript goal, I show up to write. This means each month I need to have written 30,000 words in order to stay on track.
How To Create A Goal Plan
work backwards from your goal
Now that you have identified your goal(s), work backwards. If you want to change careers, how will you do so? Take out a piece of paper or open notes to identify the steps needed in order for your goal to happen.
Example Goal: Career change
Example Steps:
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Identify what I want to do next
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Network with people in that industry
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Gain experience to support
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Update my resume and LinkedIn
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Brush up on transferable/useful skills
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Apply for jobs
Set Deadlines
Set deadlines for steps you’ve outlined to reach your goal. By setting deadlines you are training yourself to achieve your goal. Breaking down your goal into smaller parts allows for you to see more progress and for the goal to become less overwhelming. When setting your deadlines it’s important to make sure they’re realistic. If you set a goal to network with people on LinkedIn every day for 30 minutes, can you really stick with it? Some may easily be able to, but a goal like networking on linked in every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for 10 minutes could be more beneficial.
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Include your goal as part of your routine
Once you have mapped out your goals and set your deadlines to achieve the steps, work the tasks into your routine. Part of my routine with reaching my manuscript goal is sitting down Tuesday-Thursday to write. I block out sections of my calendar when I would otherwise be watching international dramas and instead, I’m writing. I also have goals with my agent to turn in a chapter each month for review. This doesn’t mean it’s in final form, but it is progress and something I know I need to work towards. And so, when I sit down on my writing days I know I need to block out distractions and buckle down because I have a deadline, accountability, and something that is helping me reach my overall goal. Weekly check-ins with myself have also become helpful. I’m able to spend 5 minutes on Monday’s to identify what I’m working towards and remind myself of my goal. Then, I create a plan from there and schedule my week.
What goal are you working towards? leave a comment!
