Setting Goals That Will Stick

It’s that time of year again. I find myself thinking about ambitious goals with a new resolve. I love the excitement in the air and the feeling of determination, but I often find that those feelings run dry within a few months. I found an article on entrepreneur.com that gave unique insights on how to set and reach goals if you’re a busy person.

The article gives the tip of finding the reasons why. Start by “focusing on the intention underneath the resolution,” the article states. This means that if I set a goal to run five 5K’s by the end of the summer I need to come up with 10 reasons why I should meet that goal. Things like “to stay in shape for the year,” or “prove to myself that I can do it,” are goals with specific meaning and can drive me when my New Year’s ambition dries up.

Another tip the article gives is to focus on “efficient resolution-setting”. Those who may be busy business people know what it means to prioritize and get things done. “Pick your areas of opportunity, state your intention, and use focus and iteration to get more done,” the article states.

To help clarify the article gave a few examples:

Don’t “Manage your time better.”
• Do get used to working in blocks of 15 minutes (1% of your day).

Don’t “Become a better person.”
• Do schedule the “next” volunteer event to spend a half-day helping.

Don’t “Learn more.”
• Do invite someone you respect to meet for a coffee or lunch five times over the year.

Goal setting is an important aspect in our lives that can make each year better than the last. Remember to focus on the why and to use focus and iteration to get more done this year.

Klydi Heywood