Photo by Danielle MacInnes
These are a few thoughts on setting goals:
- It has helped me to start off by reflecting on my dreams and aspirations for the future, specifically how I want to feel, as well as ways I would most like to be spending my time. Actually writing down a short paragraph that describes this was a lovely way to lend focus to my goal setting.
- Breaking these big picture goals into smaller steps was next. This is where the old quip of "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!" could be helpful. My friend calls this approach "Eating Elephant Hamburgers". To me, this works well in terms of goal setting because it encourages me to focus not only on the big picture goals, but also on the smaller steps that I will do each day and each each week to achieve those goals.
- Some goals focus on forming new habits rather than completing a specific task, so the "elephant hamburger" approach can work well for this too. I think small habit changes can make a big difference.
- Another idea I am using is to pick a day and time on which I will try to do each task. Putting the task on the calendar is a step closer to getting it done!
- Finally, being realistic about how much time and energy I really have has also been a helpful mind shift. I sometimes find that I have a huge number of things that I would like to do, but it can be a bit overwhelming to do them all. Having big picture goals helps to sift out what is really a priority. And then eating elephant hamburgers!
Although it is already the end of January, I am hoping that setting goals will help me remain focused on what is important and to feel less frantically busy in the year ahead.
Do you set goals? If setting goals is something you do, do you have any tips about making them achievable?
