We’ve been talking about how to create plans that really stick.

This is part 4 in our goal setting series. See the whole series here:

• Goal Setting 101: The Basics
• An Inside Look at How I Set Goals
• How to Cultivate Long Term Habits
• How to Keep up with Goals and Habits in Survival Mode – you are here
• A Peek at How Hannah Accomplishes Her Goals

Now we’re going to focus on how to keep up with your goals and habits when life gets crazy – when you’re in survival mode.

Click on the image below if you'd like to watch the video on how to reach your goal even in survival mode:

If you feel overwhelmed and you’re in survival mode, you are not alone. We have all been there. Personally, I was in more of a survival mode for a few months after the birth of each child, during cross-country moves, and a few other times when there was more than usual going on.

The great news is that you don’t have to completely abandon all your goals, but you may need to change them some. Here are some of the best tips from the I Heart Planners team on how to keep up with your goals even when life is crazy:

Redefine Success

In extreme times, we need to redefine what success means to us. When things are humming along smoothly, we can expect a lot more of ourselves than we can in more hectic times. If I make a list of my top 3 to 5 priorities for the day, and ONLY get those done, I call it a success.

Create a Done List

Consider writing a list of all the things you do in a day. Often, we forget about how much we really are accomplishing – especially when we are doing a lot of repetitive tasks (like cleaning, errands, feeding babies, etc).

Prioritize and Take Some Things Off Your List

Pare your habits down to the things that are most important to you and intentionally put the rest on hold. If you try to keep up with everything, you will likely feel guilty that you can’t keep up. I highly recommend using a habit tracker so you can see visual progress.

Avoid competing goals

It’s super easy to set competing goals like “go to bed by 11pm” and “wash all the dishes before you go to bed”. It’s important not to set goals that conflict with each other. If you do this, make sure one of them is clearly a higher priority.

Don’t try to juggle everything at once

It’s hard to focus intensely on every area of your life at once – even when you’re in an “easy” season. So focus on just one area.

Change your perspective about letting things go

As I just mentioned, you can’t focus on all the things at once. It can be discouraging to intentionally stop focusing on a habit you’ve been really working on. However, my goal is that each time I focus on a habit, I want my baseline (what I do when I’m not investing a ton of my energy in that area) to be higher each time.

I hope this helps you make it through the hectic seasons of life without throwing in the towel.

This is part 4 in our goal setting series. See the whole series here:

• Goal Setting 101: The Basics
• An Inside Look at How I Set Goals
• How to Cultivate Long Term Habits
• How to Keep up with Goals and Habits in Survival Mode – you are here
• A Peek at How Hannah Accomplishes Her Goals