You have so many goals you want to accomplish in your life. Let us be honest though, life can easily get in the way and keeping up can be a challenge.
When you are working on your goals, there are a couple of common challenges that can arise. It can become overwhelming, with all the new tasks that need done or you could become stuck with how to get started.
I know what it is like to have goals and see no progress. I remained stuck because I did not effectively plan and act. It was not up until a few years ago that I got more serious about looking past the goals I had in my head and into the details of how I was going to get there.
You can get out of the cycle of living the same year over and over! This post is going to help you get specific on what you want and need to achieve in your life to reach your goals. Once you find clarity, you will know what and where to focus your energy next.
Setting Your Goals
The first step is to get your whole list of goals narrowed down. I like to aim for having three major goals to focus on. Three goals are plenty and will give you a lot to focus on. Be honest with yourself if you think three will be too much and start with one or two. More can be added later! Starting out should not feel overwhelming.
As you create your goals, aim to be specific and measurable, so you know exactly when you have completed it. This will also be helpful when it comes to breaking your big goal down into action items.
Here is a bad example of a goal: pay off debt. Here is a good example of a goal: pay off three credit cards in 6 months. Do you see the difference? The first goal does not provide any end to the goal and is not descriptive to help you know you are making progress. The second example lets you measure your progress every week and gives you an idea of where you are thriving and where you need to focus more.
As you narrow down your goals, keep in mind whether your goal is specific and measurable. This will make the process easier.
Creating Action Items That Work
Create action items for each of your goals so you know the exact steps for accomplishing them. I suggest coming up with 3-5 items and working these into your schedule. Action items allow you to know exactly what needs to be done and will allow you to create an achievable timeline to work on your goal. Spacing out the action items will help you avoid becoming overwhelmed.
Sticking with the example goal in the section above, action items could include:
- Create a budget
- Review your budget every Sunday morning to ensure you are on track with your goal
- Decrease subscription expenses to have an extra $100 per month to put towards debt
Once you have your list created, you will know where you need to begin. Give each item a deadline and schedule it into your calendar. Move through your action items and finally accomplish your goal.
Creating Accountability Matters
Accountability is so important when it comes to accomplishing remarkable things. Accountability will keep you focused on pushing forward with what you have set out to do.
This piece is so important for me because if I do not have something in place, I am usually left scrambling near the deadline. I have seen this happen with others as well and it just is not pretty.
I am a huge advocate for either finding external accountability with a friend or mentor or establishing something externally like deadlines, whether they exist or not.
Use this time to brainstorm how you are going to build accountability into your goal setting. This should be something that fits in with the other pieces of your life and will keep you motivated. Accountability will keep you on the path to success.
Track & Review Your Goal Progress
The next steps in creating a system for your goals is to track your progress and complete reviews. These two important steps will help you see where you still need work, what processes are working, and which ones may need tweaked. Track and reflect on your progress weekly, focusing on the wins and the challenges you experienced. Think about what worked well for you and why and what challenges you faced and why.
Whenever I am going through this step, I notice that I start to get motivated again if I have fallen behind somewhere along the way. It helps to call out where I have been stuck and what the barriers have been. Once I tweak my plan in the right areas, I am usually ready to hit the ground running!
Be honest with where you are at during each check in. You will get so much more benefit from picking up where you are.
Do a month end recap and focus on what you learned from this process to carry forward and what you want to improve upon as you move into the next month. You can also pull any incomplete action items forward into the new month.
Achieving Your Goals
You have now had a chance to go over the steps it takes to make your goals and dreams a reality. These steps will help you get closer to living the life you want to live.
You have identified your top three goals, made action plans to break down your big goals and discovered how to build accountability in your life. We have also gone over the real game changer, tracking your progress, and completing weekly and monthly reviews.
As you embark on this new journey, realize that it is okay not to accomplish every single goal that you make. I still do not but it is rewarding to accomplish so much and learn along the way.
You now have a framework and resource to use to help you keep moving forward which is the foundation that you need to do important things.
What is a goal that you want to accomplish soon? We would love to know so share with us in the comments. Do not forget to share this post with your friends so they can accomplish great things too!
