How to Set and Stick to Goals

Learning how to set and stick to goals is one of the most important skills we can develop in our lives. We’ll use the skill in our personal lives, and also professionally. 

For example, if you’re in blogging or marketing, think about how much your business or career could change if you set a goal of creating two blog posts a week, no matter what. 

Small, relatively attainable goals can add up to massive changes, but so many of us overlook the importance of being proactive about setting said goals. 

When we’re vague with how we set goals, it’s more challenging to manage growth. If we don’t have a process for doing things, it’s very easy to get distracted. 

If you want to change your life, be patient and mindful in how you set and then ultimately achieve goals. 

The following are some tips you can apply to your personal and professional life. 

Write Them Down

One of the simplest things you can do to be more accountable when you set goals and even to help you organize and prioritize what you hope to achieve is to write it down. 

It doesn’t have to be fancy. A sticky note with your goals can be an excellent way to have a visual reminder of what you want to achieve. You can solidify your goals more effectively when they’re written down and keep them from being too vague. 

There’s always a sense of satisfaction when you can put a check of achievement beside something you’ve written down as well. 

Stop Relying On Motivation

One of the biggest things that derail so many of us in various areas of our lives is waiting for motivation to strike. Sure, it does come sometimes and that’s great. You can ride it like a wave, but it shouldn’t be the deciding factor in how you approach your goals. 

Motivation comes and goes, and sometimes it’s an extrinsic element that serves as a motivator. 

Much more important than motivation is a sense of habit. 

Consistency is how you’re going to become the person you ultimately want to be, no matter how motivated or unmotivated you might be feeling on any given day. 

Willpower is another word you can go ahead and throw out instead of focusing on habit and consistency. 

Motivation isn’t going to get you where you want to be—a plan for consistent implementation is. 

What to Do When Things Don’t Go According to Plan

Even if you’ve gotten the point in your goal setting where you have a plan and strategy for achievement, there are some situations where things don’t go according to plan. No matter what you do, you might not be able to implement your intention. 

That’s okay too. 

Have a backup plan as part of your initial process. If you can’t achieve X, then you’ll do Y. That way, you’ll feel less discouraged and ultimately you’ll still be accomplishing something. 

If you only temporarily get off track with a goal, don’t dwell. What a lot of us do is figure it’s all or nothing when we set a goal, and then if something comes up and we don’t achieve it within a particular timeframe we feel like we should give up. 

Successful people don’t do that. They evaluate what went wrong, and they move forward. 

Break Down Larger Goals

If you’re setting enormous goals for yourself, they’re often going to be too vague to create a plan for, plus you can get discouraged if it’s something overwhelming. Instead, even if you do have a larger goal, break it down into smaller, more manageable chunks. 

When you break down a goal, not only can you be more specific and strategic, but you’re also going to keep fueling yourself to move forward because you’ll feel accomplished when you meet those specific smaller goals. 

Plan the First Step

It sounds cliché, but the first step in anything you want to achieve is always the hardest. 

That first step is where you may feel most unorganized or unsure. If you can create a concrete first step, you don’t have to think about the rest. Think just about what you’re going to do as the very first step to achieve whatever the goal is, and then do it. 

Finally, holding yourself accountable is key, but sometimes you might need a push from an outside party. Tell someone you’re setting a goal for yourself. Just telling them and you knowing they’re aware of it is effective in helping you achieve.