Goal Setting Options
Goal setting is one of the most useful tools in terms of growth, accomplishment, and productivity. I say that mostly due to my own experience using various ways of goal setting to stay on track, and to stay motivated. In this blog post, I am going to give examples of different methods to try if you want to shake up how you navigate the goals in your life.
One method I used to use, was to simply list goals down to put up in my office or bedroom under what is considered the five pillars of life. I’m not convinced I still believe in this concept, but the five pillars are: health, family, finance, work, and play. The method worked for me for two reasons. The first being a more well-rounded list. I didn’t want to focus too much in one area, or miss another area, and having 5 columns to list under helped me spread the love, so to speak. The second being a virtual, hard copy list. Having this written out, helped me visual and physicalize the list. This served as a daily reminder, but also permanency. A commitment to paper meant a true commitment.
Another method I used to use was a calendar method. I would pick a goal I really wanted to hone in on, and I would put a sticker (yes a sticker, I love stickers) on my calendar for every day I committed to my daily action related to my goal. For example, if my goal was to spend five minutes every day working on my blogs, I would put a sticker after I finished those five minutes. There’s something about the visual of seeing consistency play out as you get closer to finishing your goal that helps with goal burnout. The goal ends up shifting to trying to be consistent which shouldn’t that truly be the goal anyway?
Another method my partner introduced me to is the chart method. For this chart there are two columns to fill in. These are goals for 6 months away and for 12 months. You can alter these to suit your goals, but it is nice to keep the two columns as separate timelines. the rows are divided into 3 parts. These being items you want to “be”, items you want to “do”, and items you want to “have”. I love this for many reasons. One being that it keeps your focused divided so that you aren’t focussing too much on material things, or not enough on self growth, or experience related. It also forces you to make sure that you aren’t thinking too long term or too short term for items.
This year, I have used what I’m calling the postcard method. Every year I send out a postcard to my friends and family at the end of the year with a collage of pictures on the front. This collage is made from images taken from the previous year. This serves as a sort of visual newsletter update on my life, if you will. I used this to create my goals, because I asked myself “what images do I want on my postcard next year?”. I liked this method because it forced me to think of more fun things that included my loved ones. This is more of a memory maker or an experience or skill maker tool, but it’s a great method when you feel traditional goal setting is too serious or just not moving in the right direction for you.
Another method of goal setting is the Passion Test method. This comes from the book titled “The Passion Test”. What you do is first make a list of every goal you can think of that is related to how you want to live your life. For example, this could be “I want to wake up every day and do yoga”, or it could be “I want to change the world with my poetry”. Once you have a list, you start to rank each item. You take the first two and pick which one you want more, then move that one up. Then you move to the third goal and do the same comparing it to all previous goals. After you have gone through every item, you have a list. Take your top five and then use these to reflect on your life. Is your current life serving these goals? If not, that is where you start with your goal list.
My next method I am going to share is the upgrade method. This method is meant to focus on taking habits and upgrading them. First you make a list of a few habits you think have room for improvement. These could be steps per day, water intake, sleep duration, protein intake, time spent with friends or family, or whatever seemingly little thing you do somewhat regularly. You take these regular habits and when we tweak them slightly, we see or feel the benefits. This plays into the idea of habits and the power they have over the bigger items in life. Sometimes setting yourself up for success with simple, more healthy habits will give you the support and energy you need to achieve all of your bigger life goals.
My final method is the anti-goal method, which is to simply pass on goals setting for the year. If goal setting is giving you anxiety, I always recommend speaking to a professional about your feelings, but I also feel like it’s okay to take some time off. Maybe you will find that a little break is all you need. Or maybe you bit off some two year timeline goals last year and you are still in the weeds working them out. Regardless, it’s okay to not do goals or take a break from the goal life.
Do whatever works for you. If displaying your goals like a vision board, so you can see them daily works, go for it. If sharing your goals with your coaches, family, and friends helps keep you accountable, I say share with everyone. Just know that goal setting is individual and an ever changing part of life. As you evolve, so should your goals. Don’t be afraid to move on to other goals if they aren’t serving you. If you set a goal at 18 years old, will this goal still serve you at 25? 30? 50? Maybe not and that is okay, in fact, pivoting is a sign of maturity and courage. Go get your goals (or not), and remember you have more support out there than you think!
