The first month of the year is almost over. Are you still pumped up about your goals? Do you have a clear plan how to achieve them? There’re a lot of people who make New Years resolutions and set goals in December. However, did you know that according to U.S. News 80% of these resolutions fail by the first week of February?
Let me share with you how we can change this statistics and be excited about our goals the whole year.
I’ll paint you a picture. Tell me if it sounds familiar to you. At the end of December or very beginning of January you write down your goals, tasks, plans for the year. You feel excited and enthusiastic about them. Well, of course, who wouldn’t? Then, life happens.
At first, you only skipped your gym once because … (here you insert your own important and legitimate excuse :). Then, you ate that one extra candy because, ok, it was rude to say ‘no’ and you deserved it.
In my life, there used to be several biggest challenges when it comes to achieving goals. Here’re only a few of them:
- procrastination
- laziness
- busyness
- lack of focus
- wrong priorities
- lack of vision
- too many distractions
- not enough motivation
Last year I declared war to procrastination. It was one of the best decisions I ever made because it helped me focus on this issue and start a more effective way of eliminating it. Of course, I lost a few battles and won a few, but the main advantage of this fight has been my newly born determination and deliberate actions in this direction.
Let me share a few practical tips with you.
Set SMART Goals
I’m sure you are familiar with this popular strategy for setting goals. All of them have to be Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic and Time-bound. However, this is one of those cases when our knowledge and our actions don’t always coincide. A lot of people heard about this strategy, know it pretty well, yet most often set vague goals without any deadline.
For example, ‘I want to lose weight’. How much weight? By which month or date? ‘I want to grow professionally’. What skills would you like to develop? What exactly do you want to learn or achieve in your career and how soon?
Last year I set and achieved two very specific goals (along with many others): to read 50 books and run 1000 miles. If I hadn’t made them SMART, I would never have achieved them!
Find an Accountability Partner
It’s not easy to beat procrastination and stay on top of your game constantly. There’s one powerful method to be a winner in this battle – accountability. You can choose the best and most appropriate method for YOU.
Do you have a friend or acquaintance who also needs accountability? Offer this person to meet weekly or monthly to discuss your goals. Ask this person to call you once a week and inquire if you actually hit the gym as often as you decided.
As for me, I have several accountability partners, several mentors and my board of directors who keep me accountable and inspire me to pursue my goals.
Use Visual Reminders
I’m a visual learner which means I perceive information visually as do most people in the world. That’s why one of my favorite reminders and motivators is to hang something on the wall right in front of my eyes.
It could be a quote, a Bible verse, a list of goals, a picture, a vision board, etc. What helps you stay motivated and always remember to move forward with your goals?
Reward Yourself
Have you heard of our so called ‘pleasure chemical’ dopamine? It’s a brain chemical which is released when we have a pleasant experience. Our brain remembers this feeling and seeks the same experience again and again. That’s why people get addicted to drugs, TV shows, Internet, computer games, etc.
Sometimes you have to perform an activity which doesn’t bring you a lot of joy and pleasure. It could be exercise, certain parts of your work or communication with specific people. How can you trick your brain to start enjoying this activity? Attach a delightful additional experience to it and then reward yourself afterwards.
For example, I used to have hard time waking up in the morning and going out for a run. Now, I’m listening to audiobooks while running. These books fascinate me so much that I hurry out of the door with no problem.
And after my long and most difficult runs I reward myself with a cup of latte. What an awesome way to reinforce the pleasure mechanism in my brain and help it desire this activity even more next time.
Try New Approaches
You may have heard all these tips before and tried some of these strategies. The trick is to try new approaches and then rotate them. If something doesn’t work now, it doesn’t mean it won’t work in a month or next year. You might be in a wrong state of mind for this particular approach.
I remember hearing and reading about morning routines, building good habits and developing discipline all my life. However, only two years ago it finally hit home. I was ready to implement all the new strategies and they changed my life.
Continue trying something new. Experiment. Seek new ideas. Just don’t give up!
So, what are your strategies to achieve goals? I’m always on the lookout for new tips! Please, share in the comments below!
