Everyone always talks about the importance of setting goals, but I’m basically rubbish at it. I’ve never been good at writing goals down and I’m even worse at checking back in to see progress. That’s no excuse to not set goals though. So I’m working my butt off to be better at it. I’m on a quest of sorts.
Lucky for me it seems like Erin Condren sensed my silent plea for better goal management when the new planners came with a spiffy new monthly notes page. It screams “track your goals here” and I’m trying just that. With July nearly over and my first attempt at better goal tracking nearing its close, I definitely still have a lot to learn. But I’m improving.
The most notable realization I gained from the first month is the difference between hopes and goals. This month I had “hoped” to film more Kawaii Bunny videos. When in reality, it wasn’t a goal I felt really passionate about. I wrote it down as a goal hoping the process would motivate me to do it. Really it just added more pressure to my busy schedule and made me feel like I let myself down when I couldn’t accomplish it. So for August I’m going to work on more obtainable, realistic goals for projects I’m already working on. That way I’m not trying to veer off in a random direction, but rather continue to focus on things I’m already doing.
I also need to learn how to celebrate completed goals. Although Kawaii Bunny ended up not being a very great goal, the other three goals I set for myself were. I accomplished all of them, yet I didn’t celebrate it. Giving yourself a pat on the back is important, regardless of how silly or small your goals may be.
So I continue this quest to set better goals. I keep the SMART goals list in the back of my mind, but I also want to focus on goals that work towards self-care as well. It’s so easy to constantly focus on work, but taking care of myself should also be on the list.
Do you have any advice on how to set goals? What types of goals are you currently working towards?
