Setting my personal goals

I love setting personal goals. Goals give me a sense of purpose and direction. For years I’ve had a goal setting day over the Christmas holiday break. I always take off the week between Christmas and New Year’s because there’s so much family to see, and I love that the workplace tends to be quiet so I don’t worry about missing anything.

The first time I set goals I made a big list. As I continued the process over the years, I came up with a strategy that works for me. I break my goals into buckets, and I allow myself to set no more than three goals per bucket.

For example:

Finance:

• Pay off car loan

• Save $10,000

Health and wellness

• Go on two yoga retreats

• Read three books about spirituality

• Take daily walks

Once I set my goals, I put them away and make a note in my digital calendar to check on them in six months. That might sound like a long time to wait before checking on goals however, it works for me. The key is to be mindful of goal setting. I’ll spend an entire morning thinking through potential goals. They have to be valuable to make it onto my list How will these goals affect my life in a positive way? How will they affect others? Will achieving these goals help me get closer to my dreams?

Then, I write them down. I don’t write in a Google Doc or online. I write them in my bullet journal with a colorful Paper Mate® Flair.

The act of writing has been shown to help people remember. The sensory process of writing, in my case marker to paper, makes the brain process information in a more detailed way. My goals are embedded in my mind, yet I’m not actively thinking about them every day. Checking on my personal goals every day or week causes me anxiety and doesn’t give me the mental space I need to achieve them.

Using my personal goal-setting method, I’ve discovered I’ve achieved 90% of my goals over the years.

I would love to learn more about if you set goals, and how you keep on top of them. Please share!

XO -
Michele