How to Practice Mindful Goal-Setting

I am a list maker, which is my favorite form of productivity and my favorite form of procrastination.  I say this because although I have good intentions, I am known to make lists that don’t ever seem to be accomplished.  I write lists on my notepad at work, on sticky notes, and type them in my phone, which end up getting accidentally thrown away, deleted or forgotten.  I realized that lists and plans are only beneficial if and when they are put into action.  I needed to start being more mindful of why I spend so much time spinning my wheels with nothing to show for it.

This year, in an effort to become more mindful of what I’m spending time on, I purchased a Passion Planner so I could start off 2018 on the right foot.  If you have ever Googled “best planner,” the amount of options are overwhelming!  I chose Passion Planner because it provides structure as well as room for creativity.  This is great because if the planner is lacking something you like – for example, a place to track habits like your water intake or a place to just doodle – you can add it yourself with the blank pages in the back!  I am extremely happy with my purchase because it has helped me understand my habits – both good and bad – and I’m able to take positive steps each week toward my short-term and long term-goals.

I know many people either already have a planner they’ve committed to for the year, or they prefer to use apps on their phone that allow them to stay organized electronically.  But, I believe that what I’ve learned from my Passion Planner can be useful for anyone that simply wants to be more mindful with how they’re spending their time.  The following tasks have been a complete game changer for achieving my goals!

Write your goals for the next 3 months, 1 year, 3 years, and your lifetime

Writing goals with different “due dates” helped me understand what my short term and long term goals are.  Passion Planner calls this a Passion Roadmap and breaks the due dates into 3 months, 1 year, 3 years, and your lifetime.  It is easy to change your goals to fit your mood – like when you decide to start that diet next Monday, even though your 3-month goals was to lose 2 lbs per week! – but having these goals to look back on every month has reminded me what my priorities were at the time I wrote them down.

Putting your goals into action

Actually putting my goals into action is where I often fall short.  I have these aspirations to spend less money, exercise more, and the list goes on.  But, if I don’t put my dreams into action, all they will continue to be are dreams.  My Passion Planner has helped me achieve my goals by understanding the importance of planning in advance.

One of my goals has been to run a half marathon.  When I wrote this goal as one of my aspirations for the next year, I then fit this into my monthly calendar within my planner.  At the end of every week in my monthly calendar I put a number (4.5, 7, 10, etc.) as the number of miles I wanted to try an accomplish running that week.  Then, as those weeks came about, I fit this into my weekly plan. This leads me to my next point!

Write down this month’s focus, this week’s focus, and today’s focus

A large goal can be daunting because it is hard to know where to start.  By using my Passion Planner I learned that breaking down goals into smaller steps will help me understand what I need to do on a consistent basis in order to achieve it.  It has made me realize that each day truly counts, and each day, week, and month can take you on step closer to achieving your goals.

Have separate to do lists for work and personal tasks

One thing I struggled with when looking for planners was combining my work and personal responsibilities.  I know some people like to keep these separate, but I always felt like having two separate planners would cause me to overlap tasks like doctor’s appointments with meetings and vacation time with project deadlines.  Likewise, I don’t like having one large list that includes my work and personal tasks because it can get a little confusing as to what has the largest priority.  On weekends I don’t want to filter through all of the assignments I need to complete that next work week when all I am focused on are my personal tasks!

My Passion Planner has a Personal To-Do List and a Work To-Do List side-by-side, on both the monthly calendar and the weekly calendar.  This allows me to prioritize my work and personal tasks separately.  During work hours I am able to focus my attention on high-priority items on my work to-do list, and during my lunch break and after work I shift my attention to my personal to-do list.  This has been a complete game changer for me, because checking things off of two smaller lists is much more rewarding to me than to have a mile-long list that I feel like never gets done!  Also, having the lists separate reminds me to take care of myself and my personal needs, which is an important factor when planning my goals for the week.

Do not cross out days and months that are in the past

On my 2017 planner, I would cross out each day that passed, and would even go so far as to tear those months out and throw them away.  I realized that it made me feel that I wanted to simply complete each day like it was a race to the end of the year.  Now that my new planner emphasizes the importance of goal setting, I realized that the past days, weeks and months are something I can learn from.  I can go back and see what my workout routine was like in January compared to February, when I last saw my friend from out of town, or even when the last time I gave my dog her flea medicine.

A planner is only as useful as the amount of detail and energy you put into it, and it can be a really good tool to understand how you operate.  I realized that although I make goals each month to progress mentally, physically and spiritually, I only usually accomplish two at a time!  I love being able to learn about myself and attempt to improve any way I can.

Monthly Reflection

One of the most important factors that has helped me stay mindful of my goals and of my actions is reflecting on my month by asking myself a few questions:

– What was the most memorable part of this past month?

– What were the three biggest lessons you’ve learned this past month?

– Review your planner for the past month and assess your priorities.  Are you happy with how you spent your time?  If not, what steps can you take next month to adjust them?

– How are you different between this past month and the month before it?

– What or who are you especially grateful for this year?

– Name three things you can improve on this upcoming month.  What are concrete actions you can take to work towards these improvements?

Answering these questions allows me the opportunity to look back on the past month and define my strengths and weaknesses.  It also provides the chance to refocus and prioritize the things in the next month that I might not have accomplished last month.

My Passion Planner has helped me become more mindful by recognizing how I spend my time.  This planner has assisted me in kicking some of my bad habits and developing good ones, all in the spirit of achieving my short-term and long-term goals!  I hope I made you think of a few ways that you can become more mindful, whether that is with your own Passion Planner or something similar.

*Photo Credit for all photos in this post belong to Passion Planner at http://www.passionplanner.com/