Goal-Setting

The importance of goal-setting and some tips that have helped me with the process.

The longer you keep working at it, the less it will feel like a chore and the more it will just become part of your lifestyle.

Why Set Goals?

I have always been very self-motivated and disciplined when it comes to work, school, my side-hustle, passion projects, whatever it is that I am working on. So I used to think “Why should I set goals? I am already working toward (x thing) anyways.” I thought that since I was already consistently working towards achieving school grades, or graduating, or finding a job, or working on my career, that I didn’t need to keep track of my goals, because I was already working towards them.

At the time, I didn’t realize the importance of setting small, attainable goals and then keeping track of them. It is so much easier to make progress toward larger goals when you break them into smaller pieces. For example, if my larger goal was to graduate college, then my smaller goals could be to complete the current semester, pass a certain class, study for a final exam, complete an assignment, etc. You can break your goals down into many segments that are easier to digest and manage. These segments help you become clear on the individual steps you need to take to reach your larger goals.

Since starting my career, becoming a business manager, and then launching my brand on the side, I have learned the importance of setting goals. Not only professional goals, but personal as well. Life gets hectic, and if you aren’t holding yourself accountable, it can be easy to let things slip. Next, I will share with you how my goal-setting process has evolved and give you some tips to help you get started.

Getting Started

Honestly, figuring out how to set a goal for myself was quite overwhelming. I am someone who does not like to fail. So the thought of possibly setting a goal and not reaching it was terrifying. But I was able to set small, attainable goals for myself and build my confidence. As my confidence grew, so did those goals.

I started by making a list of the things I know I want to work on / improve. Like my health, my brand, my fitness, my mental wellbeing.

I wrote down a few actionable items for each category, starting with my health and fitness goals first. I knew I wanted to drink more water, workout for at least 3 days a week, and stay within a certain calorie allotment.

These were great goals to start with and focus on because they are all quantifiable. They can be easily measured and tracked. I could easily keep track of my progress and mark the tasks off in my planner each day. I started doing this in 2021 and am still tracking health goes daily!

Track Your Progress

A big key to goal setting is to keep yourself accountable. I did this by checking off these goals daily in my planner. It serves as both a reminder and a reward. It is so important to have a system in place to track these daily tasks. Without tracking your tasks, you won’t be able to evaluate your progress to keep moving forward. This means making changes if necessary. You want to find a good balance between sustainability and challenge with your goals. If the goal is too challenging, you may not stick with it. If it is not sustainable, you will burn out. So start small!

I designed these weekly inserts (shown below) that includes a goal planner at the beginning of each month. Here’s where I write down my overview (larger goal), weekly actions (actionable steps to achieve the goal), and then daily tasks. There is space to track 3 different tasks for each week.

The weekly insert (shown below) has the 3 sections for weekly tracking at the bottom of the inserts. Each day that I complete the task, I fill in the corresponding circle.

At the end of each week, I can easily see what tasks I accomplished consistently or what tasks I need to improve on the following week.

To see more planner inserts, visit my shop on Etsy, PrintsbyKaitlyn.

Break it Down

Make a goal for yourself that is easily measured. You may want to lose weight, but how much and over what amount of time?

Once you have the goal, break it down into small, actionable steps that you can perform daily. You can keep track of these in your planner or on your phone. Each small act will add up over the course of a week, month, or a year, and you will see results. The longer you keep working at it, the less it will feel like a chore and the more it will just become part of your lifestyle.

I still track my workouts, but now I track them to make sure I am completing my weekly workout split. I am so used to working out that I miss it on the days that I skip. It is so beneficial to my physical and mental wellbeing.

Make it Healthy

This may sound obvious, but make sure your actionable steps to achieving your goal are healthy and adding to the overall wellbeing of your daily life, not subtracting from it. The thought of working out may feel like torture, but I know I am going to feel great afterwards and that I am taking care of my present and future self.

Celebrate the Wins

Be sure to take time for yourself to celebrate those small wins. Got in a workout today when you didn’t feel like? Make a mental note to yourself that it was worth it and you feel great. Just be sure to knowledge your progress and don’t beat yourself up when you miss a day.

Summary

• Make a list of areas you want to improve in your life
• Break these items down into daily actionable steps
• Make them small, measurable, and sustainable
• Make them healthy
• Celebrate the wins