how to set goals you can totally smash
Blogging Goals This Month

how to set goals you can totally smash

the spicy bean - how to set goal you can totally smash - www.itsthespicybean.com
January is traditionally the time to start anew. New year = new year’s resolutions, and this year started on a Monday, making it even more apt for a fresh start. Resolutions are great – as long as you stick to them. Trouble is most people will break their resolutions pretty soon after the buzz of a new year has worn off.

But you don’t need a new year to set some really awesome goals for yourself. Any time is a good time to put your focus on self improvement and work towards something you really want. I’ve set myself a bunch of goals this year as I’m determined to DO things rather than just THINK about doing them.

The goals you set are really important, as this will determine whether or not you will achieve them. So many people miss their targets purely because they didn’t set the right ones. Here are my top three ways to make sure you can totally smash those goals:

Really know yourself

Before setting goals, take a good hard think about your strengths and weaknesses. Think about why you’ve missed targets before.

For me, I know I can be too ambitious. I also know I need real, solid goals that leave no room for doubt. I’m a list maker, and I like to chunk things down into smaller pieces so I get to cross more things off quickly. Seeing progress is important to me, so if I set a goal that doesn’t materialise until six months down the line, I’m likely to give up very quickly. For things like that I need to take each step as a separate thing that all adds up to a whole later on.

This won’t be the same for everyone, and you do really need to think about what works best for you. Ask yourself these questions:

  1. Are the goals you’re setting things you really want?
  2. Will you still want those things in a month’s time or in six month’s time or in two year’s time?
  3. Do you have time to do what you need to do to achieve them? Can you make it a priority?
  4. What really motivates you? Is it the end goal or is the journey just as important?
  5. What might get in your way and what can you do to get around these obstacles?
Related:  Blogtober Day 21: Share Your Favourite Playlist

Make your goals achievable

the spicy bean - setting goals you can totally smash - www.itsthespicybean.com
Lofty ambitions are kind of my thing. When I was younger my ambition was to be Prime Minister. Not to work in politics. Not to be an MP. I wanted to be the Big Guy At The Top. There’s nothing wrong with being ambitious, but it’s also really important to be realistic.

For instance, as a blogger you might want to blog full time one day. If you say you’d like to achieve this from scratch in three months, that might be a bit unrealistic (despite what pinterest will have you believe). But if you give yourself a couple of years and several shorter term goals to get there, it just might happen if you stick with it.

Impatience is one of my biggest downfalls, and I’ve been guilty in the past of trying to do too much too quickly. I would say that setting unrealistic timescales has been the main reason for a lot of the goals I’ve missed. It can be very demotivating when you’re not moving as fast as you’d planned, and that often leads to me giving up.

Chunk it down and you’ll be able to see more easily how that goal will use up your time and energy. And make those chunks very specific. They should be things you can easily measure, for instance how many pageviews you’ve had or how many miles you’ve run. Ticking those boxes on time, or even overachieving, will be a huge motivator.

Write it down and be organised

the spicy besn - how to set goals you can totally achieve - www.itsthespicybean.com
You will need a way to track your goals so you can see how you’re doing. Again, this will be different for everyone, but no matter how you do it it’s important to write down your goal and how you’re going to get there.

Related:  an important reminder: it's okay to take a break sometimes

I use my bullet journal to keep track of how I’m doing and break down my goals into smaller, measurable chunks. My overall goal of “doing more exercise” has many components, all of which are very specifically measured and can be checked off as I go. There’s no better feeling than colouring in those little squares as you achieve something.

I fully recommend starting a bullet journal to keep track of your goals and your progress. You can set your tracker up in a way that works for you, and you can choose as many or as few goals as you wish to focus on at one time. Plus you get to exercise your creative muscle! Pinterest is a really good place to start for bullet journal ideas:

 

 

For cool stuff to help you reach your goals:

the spicy bean - setting goals you can totally achieve - www.itsthespicybean.com
dorkface sells a lot of handy bits a pieces, as well as inspirational prints.

 

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13 thoughts on “how to set goals you can totally smash”

  1. You’re absolutely right, knowing yourself is so important when goal setting because there’s really not much use in working your butt off in pursuit of one goal to find that a few months down the line, your heart really isn’t in it! Tracking goals is certainly super motivating as well, I like breaking mine down into smaller, more managable steps and then ticking them off as I go! Wishing you all the best with your goals for 2018!

    Abbey x

  2. This is such an inspirational post! I love the idea of bullet journaling but never know what to do. An exercise tracker is a fabulous way to stay motivated and see your progress! 💖 It looks like you are doing amazingly well! Thank you for sharing <3 xx

    Bexa | http://www.hellobexa.com

    1. Trackers are my fave! Anything that involves crossing things off is sure to motivate me. I’m going to post a bit more about bullet journalling next week which might be helpful if you’d like to start one. It seems daunting at first, but it’s actually really fun 🙂

  3. This is a great post, I love seeing the sneak peeks at your bujo too!
    I totally agree with knowing yourself before setting resolutions, there’s no point setting something you’ll never achieve as it will just bring you down.
    I like how you’ve split “do more exercise” down into smaller goals, you’ll get a greater sense of achievement and that’s a bonus all round.
    Cora | http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/

    1. I think knowing yourself is the part people skip most often, when actually it’s probably the most important part. I wouldn’t know to do the rest if I hadn’t taken a good hard look at myself first!
      Also, I’ve got a post coming out next week with more peeks into the bullet journal 🙂

  4. It’s so true what you say about knowing yourself, and chunking your goals into several smaller, more manageable ‘tasks’ rather than one outright goal. I always fail because I set the bar too high; I always want to lose ‘3/4/5 stone instead of setting the bar to 1/2 stone and then moving it when I’ve achieved it.

    Also, your bullet journal looks fab! Absolute goals!
    Gemma x | HiddenLittleGem.com

    1. I’ve fallen into the setting the bar too high trap SO MANY times. I’d probably have reached my goal weight ten times over by now if I’d just taken it a stone at a time. But nevermind, I know what to do differently now and that’s what’s important!
      By the way, I’ve got a post coming out next week with more about my bullet journal 🙂

  5. Making sure you know yourself before you set goals seems like such an obvious thing but really, how many of us actually do that cross check first? That’s such a good tip. Also breaking things down into chunks so you don’t have such a mountain to climb. Lovely post, thank you so much for sharing and good luck with your 2018 goals! X

    Lisa | http://www.lisanotebook.com

    1. I’m glad you liked it 🙂 If I didn’t chunk down my goals I’d never get anything done! It’s so easy to get overwhelmed when you set out to achieve a lot, little bits are so much easier 🙂

  6. I’m far too ambitious and impatient too – I want results, or at least progress, far too quickly. I’m trying tiny little changes this year that I can incorporate into my daily routine – and by logging them each day, at least I’ll be able to see the efforts I’m making. I definitely need to be more patient and realistic! X

    1. I’d say that is my biggest flaw, because it gets in the way of self improvement aaaall the time. It’s so hard not just immediately being good at something! Tiny changes are good because they all add up to something big, and you’ll get to cross off so much stuff!

  7. This was a really helpful post! Breaking goals down is so important and making them measurable as well! I’m going to use your tips and give it a go! Thanks for sharing!xx

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