This post will be made to help you in setting reasonable and realistic goals that you could actually achieve. I feel that this is an appropriate time to discuss goals as it is the start of a new year and a new decade. New Years resolutions are a common conversation topic around this time of year but they are often unsuccessful. So basically this post is meant to help you achieve the things that you want to.
One strategy that is very popular with businesses and professionals is referred to as 'SMART goal setting'. This can be used in normal, everyday life.
Each letter in the word SMART stands for something that is important when setting your goals.
S- Specific
M- Measurable
A- Achievable
R- Relevant
T- Time bound
You want your goal to be specific or to the point. This is a way of drawing your focus to that goal and only that goal. This is important because if you just set a general goal you can loose sight at what it is that you actually what to achieve.
For a goal to be measurable it needs to be trackable. When you are able to track and monitor something you can see how well you are going and how much further you have to go before your goal is completed. This can be quite motivating and encouraging.
Its very important to make sure that you can actually achieve your goal and that t is realistic. You don't want to set your standards too high or too low as these can both disheartening. Don't try to over work yourself as you will end up too tired and unable to reach your goal.
The goal you are setting needs to be relevant to you personally. If you don't want to do something but your friend does, you cant do their goal for them. You need to work for something that you want.
Time is crucial in completing a goal. If you don't set yourself a time limit then you can become unmotivated and never complete the goal. remember to be reasonable with your time and don't make the limit too short.
I will now show you an example of two goals. One that is SMART and one that isn't.
I want to exercise more.
I want to improve my wellbeing by exercising once a day for a year. I want to work my way up gradually from 5mins a day to 1 hour a day by adding time each month. I want to feel better in myself by doing this and hope to see a difference in my mental stability by 2021.
Can you see the difference?
One goal is very general and short. This is unlikely to happen because you don't have anything trackable, specific, unique to you, a time limit or anything that can actually be achieved.
The second goal ticks all the boxes of a SMART goal.
Now that you have set a goal you need to aim for it. You can make this easier by writing your goal down and keeping it somewhere that you can see it everyday. This will be a constant reminder that you have something that you are working towards.
Another thing that is important is remembering that it is okay to miss days where you don't work on your goal. It is your journey to your goal and it is unique to you. Sometimes you could work on your goal everyday for 2 weeks and be so proud of yourself, and other times you could forget or loose motivation for 4 weeks. What is important that you keep trying your best to work on your goals but don't pressure yourself to the point where you feel like giving up.
Bullet Journaling is a great way of tracking and measuring your progress with your goals. and I have used this for a few years now and it has always been a great way of staying focused. I have another post about types of spreads that you can use to help with goals and mental health. I will link that here:
That is it for this post. I hope that you have found it helpful and insightful. If you want to keep up with me on instagram go follow me @diaryofapsycho1. Feel free to send me messages and post ideas.
Thank you so much for all the support and I appreciate every single one of you. Love you all so much.
Jen xx
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