Goal Setting Tip #2: Goals Day
As a reflective and passionate individual who is determined to improve by 1% each day in every facet of her life, having a concrete action plan is the only way for me to pave my way towards these aspirations. Over the past few months, I’ve been able to see so many people start new projects, take on new hobbies, and develop skills pertinent to their field of study. But what I noticed for myself, was that it was never about the time.
I know it sounds contradictory, but I was in the best shape before I went to Thailand with my friends. My project at the time was based in South Bay, which required a 4 hour commute daily. Despite this, I made it a point to exercise daily. Even twice a day sometimes! This showed me that it wasn’t about having the time, but a concrete plan.
When my company shifted to work from home and I had all this time on my hands, I realized that I needed to integrate structure in my life. This is what led me to start Goals Day on the first day of the month. I had created a list of goals for this year but hadn’t taken much action towards it. So I dove right in by deciding what I wanted to work on for the month and made sure to outline clear steps that would allow me to meet this goal.
Most of the items I wanted to accomplish this year weren’t things that could be crossed off after a mere month, so it required building a plan and acting on it for more than a month to determine what were the best practices, and how to optimize for the next month.
I also learned that sometimes you need to begin working on something to accurately measure the time that will be necessary to allocate towards achieving it. Sometimes with the amount of information available, I tend to get overwhelmed with what to do vs doing it for myself and learning from what worked best for myself.
Additionally, having so many interests means that there comes a point where I need to prioritize what I value more to be able to give sufficient time to that but also not sacrifice my existing priorities or mental health (avid 8 hour/night sleeper over here). I’m still working on this but reflecting on what I do spend time on allows me to see what I subconsciously care more about. I have “finishing issues syndrome,” whether it’s a goal I set at the beginning of the year or a book that I’ve lost interest in. I need to complete things I started.
Goals are completely personal and require true desire from within but are so achievable. I urge people to use SMART goals setting technique to ensure that their goals meet the following components.
SPECIFIC
MEASURABLE
ACHIEVABLE
RELEVANT
TIME-BOUND
The month has just begun so save the template above and set your goals for this month! Anything is attainable if you’re able to create a plan towards it!
Sources:
Boogaard, Kat. “An Explanation of SMART Goals and How to Write Them.” Work Life by Atlassian, Atlassian, 15 Apr. 2019, www.atlassian.com/blog/productivity/how-to-write-smart-goals.
