Goal setting… Something we do at the beginning of the year with our New Year’s Resolutions. It is something important to do in order to know what you want to achieve, but focusing on the wrong goals can set you on a path of frustration and disappointment. So, how do we know which are the right goals to set? Here is a list of tips to have in mind for an effective goal setting session.
- Get clarity on your priorities. Ask yourself, “what do I really want? Why do I want it?” If health is important to you, you need to spend your time cooking healthy meals and engaging in physical activities instead of catching up on Game of Thrones just because everyone is talking about it!
- Understand your Limiting Beliefs. We discard a lot of goals because we think they’re unattainable. For example, you might think that becoming a best-selling author is impossible, but so did J.K. Rowling and now she is richer than the Queen of England! Even if you don’t hit the mark, you will have a lot of fun writing your book. So make yourself a favour and don’t let those negative voices in the way of a rewarding endeavour.
- Don’t be too strict about deadlines. I hate time-bound goals because I’m terrible at setting them. However, it is a good thing to set a specific time frame for your first step: for instance “over the next week, I’ll set my work environment then I’ll write a book proposal”. This gives you a chance to set your course one week at a time when planning for the whole year is too daunting. Don’t forget that a time frame gives you something to hold on to but life consists of many moving parts and it’s ok to adjust your goals as you make progress.
- Beware the overwhelming factor! When you look at everything that needs to get done it’s easy to panic but this is only because you’re thinking you have to do it all at once! So, try not to overcommit to too many things at the same time or you’ll burn out after the first month. Warning: no matter how busy is your week, make sure you make time to work on things that matter to you.
- Finally, the most important things to remember about goals is that they have to be meaningful to you and that they require action. Now do some soul-searching, write down those goals and don’t leave for tomorrow what you can do today!