Every year I hear people talk about making resolutions and setting goals. I like to set goals too for myself. Many people talk about dieting or improving their lives some way. Working on improving our lives is always a positive thing. Then I wondered about the process of setting goals. My students hear about this but I’m not sure they understand the process of doing this which may be why they don’t stick with resolutions or work towards goals after a week. Here are some guidelines for setting goals. Realistic
They need to be realistic. It needs to be something that is possible to do. Otherwise you are setting yourself up for failure.
Time
If you want to accomplish this during this year, you need to look at the time involved. How much time each week are you willing to devote to getting this done. If you don’t have the time or aren’t willing to give it the time, then don’t make it a goal because you won’t reach it.
Progress
There needs to be a way to measure progress. That is the best way to motivate you to continue. Decide how often you will measure progress and how will you measure it. I love to keep charts and document my progress so when I get discouraged, I have something visual to help me keep going.
Prioritize
Make a list of the things you want to do and then prioritize them. Pick the top three or five things and make them your goals.
Support
Find others to support you. Share your goals with those who are able to support you. Explain what kind of support you want. I don’t want someone to nag me or make me feel guilty if I am not doing what I should. For some reason, it makes me annoyed and I act more negatively. I want people who will cheer me on and praise when I’m doing well. If they see positive changes, I want them to mention it. I want to feel good about working towards my goals.
Moving towards the Finish Line
How will you know you reached your goal? What reward will be there for you in the end. Everyone likes a reward and it helps you to work towards it. Decide when you start what your reward will be. Find pictures of your reward and put them up around you. Seeing your rewards each day, will help motivate you.
What advice do you have for setting goals? Please share!
Image: 'Goals, Goals, Goals'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30011527@N05/3876552794
1 comment:
I think it's important that goals are positive rather than negative, too - what I mean is, rather than saying "I will stop doing so and so in 2012", it's better to turn that around into something constructive, e.g. "I will achieve this in 2012". Much more likely to succeed that way :)
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