Goal Setting 101

Let’s talk GOALS. I know it’s the new year, and some of you may be thinking that this post is a little late for goal setting, HOWEVER, I figured now would be a good time to review! This way, you can look back at your goals you have set and make adjustments as needed.

Think of it as a goal setting check in. A goal setting assessment.

In the world of organizing, I find that I am always evaluating and reassessing things. Even in my own home, I will organize a space, then come to find out a week later it isn’t functionally working for me so I have to make adjustments.

There is a process I use to organize, and there, of course, is a process to use for goal setting. This probably is something that you may have seen before. I didn’t reinvent the wheel here. But I will break it down each step for you.

When goal setting make sure that you are S.M.A.R.T! Make sure your goals are: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound.

1. Specific

When making a goal for yourself, make sure the goal is specific. For this post, I am going to use an example of losing weight as a goal. I did not personally have this goal for the new year, but I figured it would be a somewhat easy and relatable example.

"My goal is to lose weight”. Okay, that is fine if you want to lose weight, but this goal is NOT specific enough.

Instead, it should be, “My goal is to lose 30 pounds”. THAT is a specific goal that you have in mind to reach.

2. Measurable

Make sure to set a goal for yourself that is measurable. A measurable goal means that you have actual evidence of you getting closer to your goal.

Whenever I hear about things being measurable, it always brings me back to all of my science classes in school. Do you remember when we used to have to do experiments and always had to collect data? Or when making a hypothesis, the hypothesis had to have criteria such as something that can be measured? This is exactly like that.

For the purposes of our example with the goal of losing 30 pounds, losing weight is something that you can easily measure. You weigh yourself each week and record your weight in a journal, log, or app that you are using.

3. Attainable

When setting goals, set yourself up for success. Make sure your goals are attainable or achievable.

If you are someone who struggles with weight, maybe setting too high of a number to lose is not going to work. There is nothing wrong with starting small. For example, you can say, “My goal is to lose 10 pounds” or “My goal is to lose 15 pounds”.

It will make it seem like it is not so far out of reach and will keep you motivated! Goals can always be tweaked. Once you hit that 10 pound mark, repeat it again for yourself.

4. Realistic

I think setting realistic goals does go along with setting attainable goals. Again, using our example of losing weight, I know for myself and my body type, getting down to a certain weight just was never in the cards. So I am not going to force myself to try that. I am being honest with myself but also making sure that I am setting realistic expectations so I am not setting myself up for failure.

When talking about setting realistic goals, make sure that when you are planning for these things that you factor in the time, money, and even motivation to do things. For example, say you want to start working out but you work 12 hour days, and you are not a morning person (I am talking from experience on this one). I already know I am not going to wake my butt up before I have to work an early day because that is just not me. If I did that, there is no way I would stick to my goal.

I am going to start small, and maybe even just start with a work out one evening a week. Do that for a few weeks or even a month until it becomes routine to me and then I can reassess again and maybe even add in another night or day that I can work out that will work best for me.

This is me, taking responsibility for myself and setting myself up for success. As I have mentioned in earlier blog posts, it does take about two months to form a habit. You aren’t going to complete your goals overnight. So make sure you give yourself that time and be patient.

5. Time-bound

The last thing to keep in mind when setting up a goal is to make sure that your goal can be completed within a certain amount of time. I think this will give you more accountability and maybe even light a fire under you.

Let’s look back at our original, specific, goal: “My goal is to lose 30 pounds”. We MUST take this a step further and make sure we put a date on this goal.

“My goal is to lose 30 pounds by May 31st”. I just threw a random date in there, but you get the idea. Make sure to choose a date that is realistic for yourself and stick to it. By having the end date, it may push you a little harder towards the end to make sure you reach that goal.

Let’s face it, we all want to be successful, so why not take matters into your own hands and set yourself up for the success?

I would LOVE to hear what everyone’s goals are so far and what you are doing to keep yourself on track to achieve them! Or, if you are finding that you need some help, feel free to contact me!

Talk soon,

Amy xoxo