HOW TO SET PERSONAL GOALS
How to set Personal Goals (practical steps)
By Joy Onovo
When it comes to setting goals, most people are so clueless as to where to start or what to tackle first.
I can say that for a fact because I use to be in similar position.
The idea of personal goal was always vague and some of the contributing factors was;
The confusion on where or how to start,
The fear of how big and seemingly unachievable the goal was, and
Not having the right tools or being in the right setting to achieving those goals.
In this article, I am going to take you through practical guides on how to set your goals and achieve them.
We are going to get very practical, so I’ll suggest you read this with a piece of paper or Journal to jot down your thoughts if need be.
Why is goal setting so important for personal growth?
I’m going to say this in simple lay man terms;
It eliminates vagueness.
It keeps you in line with your vision.
It helps you track your progress.
It helps you know what is important and what is not.
It helps you become more aware of your actions and inaction and how they can impact your future.
For every game, there is always a game plan.
Goal setting is the game plan for your future.
When setting personal goals, it is pertinent to take it one step at a time so that you don’t get too overwhelmed with the details.
Group your goals into sections or categories and tackle them one at a time.
HOW TO SET PERSONAL GOALS
- WRITE DOWN ALL YOUR GOALS.
There is a popular saying that goes “paper is to write things down that we need to remember. Our brains are used to think”.
Save yourself the stress of trying to remember your goals by writing them down somewhere.
Outline them in easy-to-understand formats.
After writing them down, they might seem like insurmountable goals, but relax my friend!
Most goals always seem unattainable until that first step to achieving them is being taken.
Listing your goals out gives you a bird’s eye view of all the things you need to achieve.
- SET REALISTIC GOALS
Most of what we have as goals are mere desires. When you set unrealistic goals, you only have the end in mind, hence it is mere wish and desire.
Goals come with deadlines and processes, and a willingness to go through the process is the first step to achieving your goals.
When you set goals, you must have the process in mind, hence you should be willing to answer these questions.
What are my goals?
What steps can I take to achieve them?
What skills do I need to achieve them?
In setting goals, make sure they are realistic goals. Yes! Goals can seem big, but are they realistic?
A very good example of unrealistic goal is ‘to earn a university degree in 6 months”. Sounds corny, but I hope you get the point.
Such a goal is not attainable, practical or doable. It will only lead to frustration and ultimate abandonment.
- GROUP YOUR CORE AREAS IN LIFE AS GOAL CATEGORIES
I want you to liken your Life to a Company with departments. In a Company, we have the Human Resource Department,
Marketing and Sales,
Operations and
Executive department.
In the same vein, group the core areas of your life into categories!
This can be;
Health,
Finance,
Family,
Education and
Spirituality.
Under each department, I believe we have sub units. So, the sub units of our core life areas can be for example, under the health department, we can have; physical and emotional health.
Under the Finance category, we can have; Career, personal finance, family finance.
For Family, we have; Marriage, Motherhood or Fatherhood as well as our social relationships with close friends.
Using these three categories as case study, under each sub units, we have key players.
The key players in the Family department are our
Spouse,
Kids,
extended family members and
friends.
Break down these sub units into key players.
This now brings us back to things we need to consider when setting our goals for each category.
When setting family goals, we consider our Spouse, kids, extended family members and friends.
When you have done these, list out what you want to achieve for each area of your life.
For the health department, this can be; Being mentally stable, being physically fit, having a clear skin!
Do this for all areas of your life.
- BREAK THEM DOWN INTO SMALL ACTIONABLE STEPS OR HABITS
This is where you need to ask the question ‘How?’
How do you get from the point where you are now to the point where you want to be (goals).
Simply put, our habits are vehicles that takes us from where we are to where we need to be.
In this next step, list out the habits you need to incorporate into your life or subtract, that will build up to that goal.
Using the goal “Clear skin” as a case study; this can be habits like;
drinking lots of water,
avoiding junk food and late-night eating,
taking daily vitamins,
avoiding direct sunlight,
having a skin care routine that works!
For Marriage, your goals can be building a special bond with your spouse.
The next step for this is identifying those habits that tears you apart and start incorporating into your life healthy habits that will foster a healthy and peaceful relationship.
Be sure to communicate this with your spouse so that you can be on the same page.
Do this for other areas of your life.
The last step in this section is to break these habits into yearly, monthly, weekly and daily habits.
Some habits are daily habits and some will need to occur weekly.
Be sure to write that down.
When you are done with this exercise, you would have come up with little daily steps and routines you need to take that will build up to your ultimate goals.
- PUT THINGS IN PLACE TO SUPPORT YOUR GOALS
One of the secret ingredients to achieving your goals is to create the right atmosphere to achieving your goals.
It is no longer business as usual when you set out to achieve your goals.
You have to be intentional with the kind of people and things you allow to influence you.
Creating the right environment to achieving your goals could be;
Disassociating yourself from critics that makes you doubt yourself and your goals.
Simplifying your life by doing things like de-cluttering your physical and digital space.
Surrounding yourself with like minded people that motivate you to achieve your goals
Putting clues in strategic position of your space to always remind you of your goals. Out of sight is out of mind.
Eliminating unnecessary distractions.
Creating the right atmosphere is a proven game changer to achieving your goals.
Do what works for you as this is very peculiar to each individual. Make sure to consider other external factors when creating that atmosphere to achieving your goals.
- GIVE YOUR GOALS A REALISTIC TIME FRAME
One of the secrets to achieving our goals is to put a time frame to each goal. But most important is making it realistic.
Setting a realistic goal with an unrealistic time frame will lead to frustration.
We should avoid burn out my spacing our goal’s time frame accordingly. When we do this, we breeze through each goal effortlessly and effectively.
We become less motivated to achieve our goals if we are burn out and are tired after each activity.
Time frames are what distinguishes our goals from our desire.
- GIVE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
If we are being truthful with ourselves, most of the goals we set are either changing or improving.
It is not entirely a bad thing if the end goal is not clear enough. Most times what we need is just that first dip in the water to see the complete picture.
Most goals are not 100% complete at the start, but as we keep moving and making improvements to the initial goal we had in mind, things begin to get somewhat clearer, and yes plans may change, and some steps may be scrapped or added into the mix.
What’s most important is that progress is being made toward the goal.
Also, life circumstances may result to re-evaluation of goals or even complete elimination of a goal. If it doesn’t align to the future or it’s no longer of importance as it was, then its OK to scrap it out.
HOW TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS YOU’VE SET
In conclusion, one major secret to achieving your daily goals is to focus on one thing at a time.
When you start a project, depending on what kind of project it is, it is expedient to focus on that project and finish it before moving on to the next one.
Jumping from one project to another without completion with disrupt the flow of how you tackle your goals.
Unfinished project can demotivate you. So always make up your mind to finish whatever project you have started.
When you look back to all that you’ve been able to achieve, it motivates you to do more!
I hope these tips were helpful? If so, please do well to leave a comment and share with your friends.
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