Achieve Your Goals Series – Planning For It

Last week I talked about achieving your goals with optimism, and this week, we’ll dive into how to actually plan for success. Dreaming about your goals, getting pumped, and committing to them is the easy part – executing on them is the hard part! So how are you going to get to those far reaching goals when there seems to be so much in the way? Follow these tips below and keep at it, achieving your goals is much closer than you think!

1. Give Yourself a Realistic Time Frame:

We all have a lot going on. Between work, family, and other obligations, we’ve got to be nice to ourselves when it comes to achieving our goals on a realistic time table. Spend some time scheduling your mini goals (described below) and thinking about how you’re going to make room for new things. Achieving something new takes time, but if you plan it carefully and are realistic when it comes to when you’ll fully realize the goal, you’ll find that the path to achievement is much more enjoyable, and that you’re able to keep the success behind the achievement going far beyond the initial goal.

2. Schedule Tiny Steps:

Tiny steps are absolutely key in achieving your goals. “Achieving your goals is done in one big step” – said no one ever. Breaking your goal into manageable, bite sized portions can make a huge goal seem doable. Schedule each of these tiny steps into your master schedule and cross them off as you achieve them. As you check them off, you’ll feel much more capable and positive than you would have if you had tried to achieve the goal in one big swing.

3. Record Success:

Most people only record or celebrate their success when they’ve finished a goal. Instead, celebrate the small things. Bask in the fact that you took one more small step towards your goal. Interestingly enough, as massive as your goal might feel, it’s actually an accumulation of little goals. For example, if you’re trying to lose 10 pounds, celebrate the fact that you’ve skipped alcohol for a week, or the fact that you’ve run more miles than last week. Celebrating and recording the little successes makes a huge impact in your overall attitude towards the goal and helps you continue on.

4. Adjust for Variables:

Nothing goes exactly as planned, which can be both deterring and annoying when we’re trying to achieve our goals. For example, you might be going to your best friend’s wedding, which not only involves hoards of drinks and decadent foods, but travel, skipped workouts, and exhaustion. If you’re looking to amp up your workout routine, how will you survive such a roadblock? Think ahead and plan ahead. Check out the nearest gyms and running paths around the hotel you’re staying at, wake up an hour early to workout, and limit yourself to a few tasty treats. Really understanding where your pain points are on a road block will help clear your head and keep your goals on track.

Achieving goals is a complicated and tedious process. But it can also be rewarding and extremely fun during the high moments – both when you’re making small steps towards the goal and when you’ve finally achieved it. Planning out how you will achieve your goals is also a good time reflect on yourself, how you work best, and what drives you. Knowing yourself and your work habits are productivity gems, use them the right way and you’re well on your way to achieving more than you planned!

If you’re still looking for a little goal inspiration, follow The Lily Honey Life on instagram for tips, tricks, and motivation to keep you going!