How to keep on track with your goals
Have a progress check every month
When making goals for an entire year it can get overwhelming to think about all you have to achieve in that time frame. The best thing to do is to break down your goals into smaller tasks based on what you want to contribute to that goal each month. At the end of the month, you can gauge effectively how on track you are and how ready you are for the next month. By the end of 12 months, if you have kept on track with your smaller goals it is likely you will achieve your ultimate goal (or close to). It’s important to remember that even if a certain task wasn’t completed in the month it was supposed to, you can complete it at the beginning of the next month. Though, try not to procrastinate too many duties as you may end up overwhelmed anyway.
Make your goal a habit
Depending on what your goal is, it’s possible to make a habit out of it. For example, say your goal is to improve your health at work. Make a habit of leaving the office every lunchtime and walking around before sitting down and enjoying some food. When something is a habit, it becomes natural. Soon enough you won’t even have to think of this as a goal because it will simply become part of your daily life.
Let people know and accept help
When you let people know about your goals, two things happen 1. You instantly create a sense of accountability and 2. You open your self up to receiving support. Certain goals will need your team to help and other goals will require only yourself. If you don’t need anybody else to achieve your goals, it’s still helpful for people to know so they can ask you how you’re going and be a reminder about the things you have to do. There is no point in trying to conquer the workforce alone, you will wear yourself out and gradually resent your goal if it becomes too hard to reach. In these situations, don’t be afraid to ask for some help. At times, simple reassurance, a helping hand or task delegation can help you get back on track or remain motivated to get to your goal.
Don’t self-doubt, give yourself credit
We are our own worst enemy when we self-doubt. Some of us tend to think we can’t do things, especially if we are falling behind or not delivering what we promised ourselves we could. It’s hard having expectations but in having a goal, automatically we think up possible outcomes. The best thing to do is manage those expectations and to be realistic and compassionate about your progress. People could easily say, don’t expect too much, but that’s not exactly easy or reasonable. If we reach for the moon and we land half way there among the stars, we’ve still done a great job and gotten quite far. So, aim high, as high as you think is possibly achievable. But when assessing your progress, make sure to pat yourself on the back and look back at all that you have done, rather than all the way you have to go. Big goals don’t happen overnight so it’s important to understand there is a bigger picture. The journey is majority of the goal – that is where all your development happens.
