5 Tips to Help Plan and Execute Your Goals
At the beginning of every year, I do the same thing. I make these extremely large New Year’s resolutions, only to forget them a few weeks later once a few hurdles are thrown my way. But, I wanted 2018 to be different; I wanted to set goals and keep a record of how and why I did or did not achieve them. Here are 5 tips that have helped me stick to my goals more than ever!
1. Break down your goal: what steps do you need to take in order to achieve this goal?
As I’m sure many people can relate, one of my goals for this year was to lose some weight so I can look and feel healthier. Easy, right? As I’m sure many people also can relate, I’ve been losing these same 5 lbs for quite a while! I realized I needed to break this goal down into a few steps so I knew where to start:
Eat healthier
Move More
Wow, okay! Eat healthier, move more. Easy, right? Once again, not so much (at least for me!). Every time I pass by Starbucks on a Monday or my coworkers ask me to go to lunch, my steps turn into “Eat healthier (tomorrow) and move (out of the way because it’s Taco Tuesday)!
2. Break down your steps even further: What do I need to do daily in order to take each step?
Breaking down each step allows you to specify what is needed to take each step.
Eat healthier: I am going to pack my lunch for work each day so I have no excuses. I will only buy Starbucks once per week. I am going to cut out sweets after dinner and any soda.
Move more: I am going to walk at least 10,000 steps per day. I am going to walk my dog Daisy at least 3 times per week after work. I am going to take the stairs instead of the elevator.
3. Put your goals into action
Now that you’ve broken down your goals into tasks that you can do daily, make sure to plan them into your week. I like to take Sunday as my day to plan my week ahead of time, including meal prepping my lunches for the week, planning my workout routine, and taking account of any meetings or appointments that may throw off my usual routine so I can plan accordingly.
4. Open your planner!
While I am at work I always have these big aspirations to check things off of my to-do list once I get home at the end of the day. Usually, I just end up cooking dinner in my pajamas and calling it a night. On the other hand, sometimes I have a list of places to call on my lunch break because they are only open during normal business hours, but by the time I remember I am at home. If you have a detailed to do list and big plans to be productive, you may not remember your good intentions if you don’t open your planner. And, sometimes seeing the list you made will remind you of the motivation and determination you had while writing it!
5. Reflection
After each month, make sure to reflect on the good, the bad, and how next month will be an improvement. Look at each day as a step in the right direction; if your week was full of doctor’s appointments and you felt like you didn’t get anything checked off of your list, think of it as you being that much closer to a healthier you.
You can also do this on a weekly basis if you feel that you are drifting from your original goals. I think it is also important to make a list of all the things that went well that week. When you look back, you’ll see that something good came out of each week and got you to where you are today.
Last, but not least, don’t be so hard on yourself – things change. That is why I write in pencil! Adjust your goals and plans if necessary. This is your life and these are your goals. It is not a race!
