It’s that time of the year where we are all making resolutions and goals. It is estimated that 80% of new years resolutions fail, and I know I myself have been part of that 80% many a time. So how can you set and achieve your goals in 2021? Here are my tips and tricks to help you set and achieve your goals!
How To Set and Achieve Your Goals
1. Categorize Your Goals
The first step to set and achieve your goals is to think of categories you want to make goals for. For myself, I broke it down into categories such as health, financial, school, travel, and personal. Other great categories include spiritual, family and career, but you can honestly think of any category! Once you have these categories in mind that you want to focus on it becomes much easier to think about the goals you are actually wanting to achieve.
2. Make Your Goals Specific
It is so important to make your goals as specific as possible. For example my goals include save $2000 by the end of the year, grow my Instagram followers to 5k, and exercise 5x a week. If they weren’t specific they would be to save more money, increase my Instagram followers, and exercise more often. Goals that are not specific are harder to measure, and you won’t know when you have actually achieved your goal.
Want a free goal-setting worksheet? Click here to download one from my good friend Sunday Mimosas!
3. Make Your Goals Achievable
It is great to have big goals, but you need to ensure they are achievable. If you make goals that are not achievable you will get discouraged, and will be less likely to achieve them. Know what you are able to do with the means you have available to you, and you can always change your goal if you achieve it! For example, I would love to save $4000 a year, but know that is currently not possible for me due to not having a solid income. Therefore, if I were to set a goal of saving $4000 it would not be achievable for me and I would get discouraged. If however, my financial situation changed, I may be able to adjust my goal to save more money then I had originally aimed for.
4. Set a Deadline
It is so important to set a deadline of when you want your goal to be achieved. Is it next week, next month, next year, or even 5 years from now? Having a deadline will help to motivate you to actually achieve your goal. Set a deadline that is realistic, don’t expect to lose 10 pounds in one week! Figure out a time frame that is realistic for you, what ever that may be, and set that as your deadline to achieve your goal.
5. Write Out Your Goals
Writing out your goals is so important! I personally think this is one of the most important steps when you set and achieve your goals. I write mine in my phone notes as well as in my planner so that I am able to see them often. I recommend writing and putting your goals somewhere that you will see them often. By seeing your goals often it will serve as a reminder of what you are wanting to achieve and help to motivate you. There are so many great planners that can help you with planning your goals, like this super cute Papier one!
6. Make an Action Plan
Now that you’ve set the goal, how do you plan on achieving it? An action plan is so important in helping you to achieve your goal. For example for me to exercise 5x a week I have made the plan that I will join Orange Theory, and I will create a schedule based around my other commitments of when I am going to exercise. To increase my Instagram followers to 5,000 I have made a plan that I will post more frequently, interact with followers and others on Instagram more often, and partake in giveaways. By having these action plans I know have the how for achieving my goals.
7. Break Down Big Goals
Sometimes it can be overwhelming to see the entire goal. I recommend breaking your goal down into smaller parts, and focusing on what you can achieve this week or month. For example, I know in order to save $2000 a year, I need to be saving around $40 a week. So, I can break my goal down by saying “This month I want to save $160”. Saving $160 in a month seems much more achievable, and is something I am able to achieve.
8. Share Your Goals With Others
I am a big believer in sharing your goals with others. It helps to keep you accountable, and friends and family can also help motivate you too! Who knows, someone close to you may even have the same goals as you and you can help each other to achieve them!
9. Don’t Get Discouraged If You Slip Up
I think the reason most people don’t stick with their goals and resolutions is because the first time they make a mistake or of they aren’t seeing results quick enough they call it quits. Do I think I will go to the gym 5x a week, every single week? Probably not. Does that mean I should stop trying to achieve the goal? Absolutely not! Do not get discouraged by not achieving your goal as quickly as you had anticipated or making mistakes. Remember why this goal was important to you, and keep pushing forward!
Get ready to set and achieve your goals girl! It is never too late to set and achieve your goals, and I hope this post helps you to do just that. If you have any other tips to set and achieve your goals, comment below. As always, thanks for reading!
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