I said a few days ago that I would write a bit about setting goals. When thinking about setting a goal I think about which area of my life I want to change and how I want it to be different. Goal setting is like making a road map and you are more likely to reach the destination if you have planned the route, know where you are going and when you want to get there. You can also track your progress more easily. The acronym SMART is used by professionals and is a tool to set goals. This is basically what it means.
SPECIFIC – the more specific the goal is the greater chance it has of being accomplished. Eg Instead of saying that you will lose weight, you will specify an amount of weight you will lose and say how you will do it. eg. I will lose a stone by meal prepping, going to the gym 3 times a week, not buying any junk etc. Another example is if your goal is to pay off debts you will say how much you are going to pay off and how eg £1,200 by paying £100 a month off my credit card.
MEASURABLE. Eg you will know if you have lost that weight or not when you get on the scales. You will know if you are paying a £100 a month off your debts by looking at your bank statements. If you said something like you want to be more confident you need to think how you can measure it.
ATTAINABLE Is it achievable? If you set a goal of paying off £10,000 debt in a year but you only earn £16,000 you might be setting your self up to fail.
RELAVENT. Is it meaningful for you? Does it fit in with your hopes and dreams? Does it fit in with your long term plans?
TIMED. When will you achieve it by? This helps you set a time line so that you know that you are making progress and can review to see if your actions are working.
When I have set a goal I ask myself the following questions.
- What is the current situation regarding this goal?
- What have I tried in the past?
- What has worked in the past?
- What else can I try?
- What would be the first step?
- What might stop me achieving my goal and how can I reduce this obstacle?
- On a scale of 1 to 10 how able do I feel to achieve this goals?
- If I asked my best friend, what would they say about my ability to attain this goal?
- What would happen and how would I feel if I did nothing to achieve this goals?
- Who might support me or help me?
I then write my action plan and break my actions into small steps as that makes them easier to achieve and so keeps me motivated
I hope this helps someone. Life coaching is a lot more detailed and focused but that is the starting point.
Thanks Toni, just what I was looking for x
Glad to help x
Some great ideas I really need to think about this and reset my own x
It’s really good to have it all laid out like this. Seems as if it would be easily more achievable. Thanks Toni
No worries.
It does help you focus and move forward if you have goals
This was exactly what I needed !! My contemplation of 2025 goals needed to be more structured & this is super helpful- Thank you 😊
Brilliant. Good luck
Thanks! Going to be setting some goals to achieve during 2025. Much more attainable than resolutions. Your post is a big help
Glad to help
Thank you . That’s a very handy template for change
No worries. Thanks for commenting
I’m stashing as much money away as I can. I’ve got 4 years before I retire. I don’t know how much money I need to live on, so what I’m going to do is try to live for a year on the bare minimum. We are going to grow as much fruit and vegetables as we possibly can. I think the thing is to be organised and keep a journal. I’m also going to cut down my days from 5 to 3. So I’ll have more time for prepping and freezing food.
Good Idea. I did the same and lived on a quarter of my income. With the money saved I bought a woodburning stove and other items that would make my retired years more comfortable when living on an even lower income. It costs money to work, and like you say, if you are not working you have more time to shop around, and prepare and preserve food.
That’s really helpful. Thank you Toni
No worries. Thanks for commenting
Very relevant for me just now. Thank you Toni
I hope that you manage your goals this year. Review them regularly, and if they are not working resetting your actions helps, and finding any barriers to you taking action. Good luck
Some great advice here Toni. Thanks.
No worries. Thanks for commenting