Welcome to a brand new year! I definitely feel like 2023 is going to be a good one!
If you are anything like me, the start of a fresh new year is full of optimism, excitement and possibilities. I love that ‘new year new me’ feeling and always start the year feeling very motivated.
The thing I love doing the most is looking at what I want to achieve this year and make some goals. But not all goals are created equal and as easy as goals are to make, they can also be easy to break or be forgotten. But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with some easy steps and a fun printable goals planner to help you structure your goals and set them up for success!
What are goals:
Bust firstly, what are goals?
Good old Wikipedia states:
A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines.
In essence, goals are decisions and commitments we make to help better our lives and keep us moving forward.
Why should we set them?
So why should we set goals?
Goals propel us forward and act as stepping stones to bigger achievements. They help us keep track of our progress and be held accountable for growth in our lives. They help us increase motivation, vision, accountability, and fulfilment. They help us be action takers- and we all know action takers are winners!
Furthermore is the importance of writing them down! Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University in California, did a study on goal setting with 267 participants. She found that you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals just by writing them down!
By documenting them and writing them down on physical paper, we solidify the idea which makes us more likely to follow through on achieving them.
Lucky I’ve got you covered with a printable goals planner to help you set them up and work towards them.
How to set your goals and stick to them!
1) Pick a goal and write it down.
The first step of goal making is actually picking your goals. You want your goal to be something that you feel excited and motivated to work towards. These can be big or small and should be something you actually want to achieve, and not something you are doing for someone else. I find it easier to pick only a few goals to focus on at a time. If you pick too many its easy to get overwhelmed and never look at them again! I’ve made my goals planner a quarterly goals planner. Quarterly goals are shorter term goals that you can break down and focus on and achieve within a shorter timeframe. You are also more likely to revisit and be motivated by setting a shorter term quarterly goal than a larger yearly or 5 year goal.
I’ve also set them up so you focus on one goal per month. Multi tasking may be a valued skill that recruiters look for, but if you focus on one task as a time, you are more likely to finish it faster and to a higher standard than if you tried to do 5 different tasks at once. - Ask why: When picking your goals it’s important to consider why you are picking it and how will you feel when you achieve it. Does it align with your values?
- Be Specific: It is also important to be specific with them. Have a deadline to work towards so you know when it should be completed and you don’t just let them extend forever until the end of time. - Rewards yourself: Make sure you rewards yourself when you have achieved your goal! Bask in the glory of completing something and working hard! It’s also a good motivator to keep you going even when you don’t want to or it feels difficult.
For example, my goal for February is to have a new range of Australian animals and plant wooden earrings. I want 5 of each.
My why is: attracting new stockists and excitement around a launch
. My rewards is: taking myself out for coffee!
2) Break your goals down into steps.
Most goals can be broken down further into smaller chunks and steps. By breaking them down, we can feel better equipped to handle and work towards the end result. I don’t know about you, but I can sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed by the goal itself and then less likely to complete it if I just leave it as a huge task that needs doing. Breaking it down really helps me think about all the steps that need to go into achieving it and actually makes me feel more motivated knowing that I can slowly chip away at it and tick each step off.
For example I’ve broken my February goal down into actionable steps to help achieve it.
Sketches and experimenting with the wooden earring design
Clean up and colouring the artwork
Setting up the artwork for the printer and send
Peel and make the wooden earrings
Product photography, socials and launch!
3) Set time aside to chip away at each step
I like to set aside some time each week to dedicate to my goals. This helps keep them on my mind and actually actions them! By working on something consistently, we build good habits and are more likely to finish it.
4) Reward yourself!
I can’t express how important it is to stop for a moment and appreciate the goal you have completed. In the past I’ve jumped straight into another goal or task and never stopped to celebrate my achievement. I became a bit numb and it was harder for me to really appreciate the effort I had dedicated to my goal. So go for a massage, take yourself out for coffee or a nice walk and pat yourself on the back for a job well done! You did great and you deserve it!
You can grab my printable planner here to help you nut out and structure your next quarterly goals.
Want to chat about goals and keep each other accountable? I’m always up for a chat! You can email me anytime at hello@strayleaves.com
You’ve got this and I believe in you! Happy goal planning!
~Bridget
