Mastering the Art of Goal Setting
Ria Jene
Ah yes, goal setting.
Productivity really is the latest trend, and it seems like if you’re not actively healing, setting goals, and becoming your highest self, then you’re regressing. There’s almost a shaming that happens when you’re not on some kind of journey these days—but you won’t find that here.
As much as I advocate for personal development, the desire to discover as much as I can about myself is an ingrained trait. It was something I was born with, and not everyone has the same desire to reach their absolute potential.
There’s nothing wrong with being comfortable with where you are and growing at your own pace. No need to keep up with the Joneses aka social media influencers who are only showing 10% of their lives.
Remember to keep your discernment and keep it strong.
Now, if you’re at the point in life where you’re like you know what, I could be okay with setting some goals, then this post is for you.
Hot take: I don’t care about the science behind creating goals.
Most knowledge now is common sense a.k.a set SMART goals, get up early in the morning, yada yada, right? Well, what if that stuff doesn’t work? Well now you feel guilty because it appears to be working for everyone else, right?
Wrong.
If everyone had the capability to plan, set, and follow-through with SMART goals, the world would already be a better place. But no, people are more unhappy with their lives than ever because they’re stuck in a certain situation and can’t find their way out.
No one talks about how long it takes to achieve your dreams, but I will. Forget six months to a year. Changing your life can take up to a decade or more, that’s why it’s important to fall in love with the journey.
Ready to start?
#1 Time for a Life Audit
The purpose of a life audit is to assess the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Now, usually people whip out workbooks and spreadsheets, but really all you need is a notebook and a pen.
Or better yet, open your notes app on your phone.
The first thing you want to do is admit to yourself that you’re not where you want to be in life.
That signals to your brain that oh, okay, something isn’t right. Next, give yourself a chance to complain. Yup, complain, vent, rant, get it out. Underline the things that really bother you, circle the things that really, really bother you.
It could be how you think you’re lazy.
How you’re not happy with your job.
How your family is stressing you out.
How you’re in a degree that you have no business studying for because your parents forced you into it.
Anything and everything is valid. Now, breathe, it’s time for the next step.
#2 Get your cute little butt on Pinterest
No, I’m serious.
It’s time to create your ideal life through images. You need a career board, a home board, a fashion board, a car board, a travel board, and whatever else is required to create that picture of your ideal life.
Have fun, discover new things, realize that you’re actively rewiring your brain to recognize and become familiar with these things. Visualizing helps your brain realize that it needs to start working to realize these images.
Your brain wants you to be happy, healthy, and safe, so use it to your advantage. When you’re finished, come back to your reality.
Now you know how much work you need to do.
#3 Don’t get overwhelmed by the amount of work
I don’t know about you, but when I know I have a mountain of tasks to do, I immediately start procrastinating. I don’t care how bad I want it, I will start avoiding it.
Why? Because your mind is conditioned to take the path most traveled. Your mind wants to stay comfortable. [Notice how I’m differentiating between the mind and the brain. Two different things here.]
Your brain will figure out a way by any means necessary, but this is the step where people get in their own way.
Fears start to crop up.
Self-doubts.
Negative hypotheticals.
I know, I’m right here with you. Now, there are different ways to combat these restraints, or “limiting beliefs” as the manifesting girlies call them, and to be honest, this is where you start breaking things down.
For example, I want to move across the country. I don’t know how or where, but I’m going to get it done. I have no money, so what am I going to do?
Get my broke self on Pinterest and look browse through my boards.
Search through reddit.
Plan in my Notion. [Notion has actually saved my life and I will write about it at some point.]
What I like to do is plan quarter by quarter. Every quarter I’m doing something different. I’m building month by month, week by week, day by day. And I’m doing it knowing good and well, I’m going to take longer in real life than what my planner says.
Why? Because we’re human. Life is in charge here and we’re just hoping things stay quiet long enough for us to get stuff done.
Determine three things you need to do to meet your goals.
Every quarter, what are three things you want to accomplish?
Every month, what are three things you want to accomplish?
Every week, what are three things you want to accomplish?
Every day, what are three things you want to accomplish?
For example, say this year, you want to start a business. This is what you can do for the first quarter.
Quarter 1
Determine what business you want to start
Research business ideas
Research competition
Month 1
Research business ideas
Research competitors
Figure out your USP (unique selling proposition)
Week 1
Research what business ideas are most lucrative
Figure out what your passion is
Determine what’s missing in the market
Day 1
Write down 3 business ideas
Research these ideas
Determine which idea resonates with you most
See how when we started with the quarterly goals, they were super vague and gave no direction? But as we whittled it down to the month, and week, the tasks shrunk in size until the day hit and all you had to do was write down three business ideas, google them, and decide which one you liked most.
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Bam, easy. Look at you being productive!
Once you’ve done those three things, you can return to your life, do what you want, or even rest. Sometimes, you might even finish what you need to do for the week before it’s even over. Now, you’re becoming efficient. When the quarter is over, you’ve answered three important questions about this major milestone. You broke it down into achievable tasks, and before you knew it, you were done.
As someone with a mental disorder, it was extremely important for me to plan, set, and execute tasks in a way that my mind could handle. Once I got my mind to agree, my brain knocked it out.
Now, notice how we took a whole quarter to accomplish this milestone. For some people, namely high-achievers who guilt-trip themselves into doing more to appear accomplished, they can launch that business in a quarter, website and all. But this way is slower, this way is more intentional. It gives you the time to enjoy the journey.
Try it. Let me know how it goes!
P.S. Did I complain about science and then use science to explain how to achieve goals? Yes, yes I did. It’s called microproductivity, aha.
Well, that’s enough from me today. If you like this post, be sure to check back for more.
Talk soon!~
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Posted Jul 5, 2024
A conversational-style guide to setting goals and creating actionable steps in your life.
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