Setting Attainable Goals

You can find so much advice on goal setting and different methods to set goals.  But is any of it actually working for you?  I've done a LOT of reading over the years about productivity, and setting goals is one of the best ways to be productive.  But while I liked some of the advice on goal setting, most of it just wasn't working for me.  I've always been super good at setting goals, but actually achieving them didn't happen as often as I wanted.  If you feel the same, watch the video here or keep reading to find out what goal setting method finally worked for me!

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Break Down Your Goals

One of the mainstream methods is to take a big, long-term goal and then break it down into yearly, monthly, weekly, daily pieces.  While this seems good in theory, even if I'm just sitting down at the beginning of the year, I have NO idea what my October is going to look like.  Will we deal with illness, major life events, etc. this year?  Yeah, I can't predict the future, either.

When I've tried this method, I would inevitably fall behind, and then my “bite sized piece” for the month toward the end of the year would be way off track.  Then I feel like a failure….and get stressed out and throw in the towel.

SMART Goals

Another common method is to make your goals SMART:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Achievable
  • Relevant
  • Time-based

Some of these are great ideas.  In fact I'm on board with all of it except the time-based part.  Some goals work well with a time limit, and it can be motivating to give yourself an actual deadline.  However, some goals just do not work well with a time limit because not everything is under your control.

I just LOVE to dream big.  Especially when I'm sitting down to get my goals out on paper, I want the freedom to be able to think as big as I want, even if the goals seem unreachable.  When I'm in dream mode, it's not the time I want to be thinking about deadlines!  I would find this so limiting.

The bottom line is that we just can't predict the future. I wanted a goal setting method that would let me dream as big as I wanted but that would also come with the flexibility to change my mind or to delay a goal.  As long as I have it down on paper, I know it's not going anywhere.  But I don't necessarily have to work on it immediately!

Goal Setting Retreats

Some people literally take a weekend vacation to think about goals.  If this works for you, keep right on going with it.  But I totally do NOT have that much time.  Between kids, family, and work obligations, it would be so hard for me to find that much time, and then it probably just wouldn't happen for me!

If this is you, cut yourself some slack.  You do not need a whole weekend.  I just grab a hot chocolate and try to sit down for an hour or two (some of us are lucky to sneak that much time away!) to think about my dreams for the future.  You can think as big as you want and brainstorm it all on paper.  Then you can let some stuff go later.  But now is not the time to limit yourself.

My Goal Setting System

When I had issues using all the above methods, I decided to come up with a goal setting system that actually worked for me.  Maybe it will work for you, too!  I put this system into our planner, and it makes it so easy with all the prompts set up for you.  And it's designed to be USED and get MESSY!

However, you do NOT need to have our planner to give this goal system a try!  You can use a dollar store notebook or whatever you already have at home.  The important part is the concept.  The planner just makes it a bit easier, but use whatever you'd like!

Big Goals Page

The first goals page just gives you a spot to put everything out on paper.  What are your big dreams?  What are your crazy ideas that you've been afraid to seriously consider before?  Those go on the brainstorming page.

Focus Areas

We have space for six focus areas in our planner.  You don't have to use all six, but it's definitely not a good idea to do more than six.  If you have 15 focus areas, you're probably not going to be able to focus very well on any of them.

There are stickers in the back with ideas for focus areas:  Cleaning and organization, Financial, Family, Health & Fitness, etc.  You can choose what applies best to you.

In each focus area, there's space to say what made you happy or sad in this area over the last area, and things you want to improve.  You can also rate yourself on how you're doing in this area.  At the bottom of the page, we ask you if you could only achieve ONE thing from this area, what would you want it to be?  And then, probably most importantly, what are you willing to let go?  We can never do it all, so it's important to cut yourself some slack and decide what you're okay with not doing for now.

On the next page you can write out the goals you're left with.  These are now your yearly goals in this area.  Although it totally does NOT mean you'll get them all done this year.  We're not giving ourselves a due date yet!

Monthly Goal Check-Ins

This is where the magic happens.  You get a clean slate at the beginning of each month!  Each new month, we do a mini-planning/check-in session.  You can look over each of your focus areas (color-coded for the nerds like me!) and rate how you're doing in each area.

Then you look over each of your focus areas at your goals.  You should pick one goal for the month from each area.  You don't have to do ALL your areas.  That's the beauty of this system.  If you know you have a lot going on this month, maybe you choose literally one thing.  Or, if you're in the middle of a crisis (because sadly, life happens), you can choose none– and have ZERO STRESS.

Even if you're not working on all focus areas every month, the mini planning session reminds you to go back and look over your goals.  Your goals may change, and your progress may be very slow.  But looking over your goals keeps you mindful about what you'd like to accomplish, and just staying aware is half the battle!

If you would like to grab our planner or get on the waiting list for when the new one is released, then click here.  Wether you use our planner or just a regular old notebook, I hope this helps you when you're thinking about your goals for the year and how to achieve them.  I hope you also cut yourself some slack because progress (even if it's slow!) is better than doing nothing at all.  We can only do our best, and our best is good enough!!

Organization that actually sticks for busy, happy lives

Posted Under: Productivity