Goals For the Year Ahead

I have been practicing setting and tracking goals year after year. I came to a few helpful practices to do this effectively. It might be common sense, but I found them useful and would like to share them:

• Processes and habits are more practical goals than outcomes. Surely outcomes (“what”) are important. And there needs to be a reason (“why”) for a goal. But it is the process, and the repeated steps (“how) that will get me there. Thinking and planning about how usually helps me to start working on what I want to work on.
• Goals are not set in stone. It is ok to change them as I go, as needed. I permitted myself to stop reading that book I no longer enjoy and work on something I value more. And since my goals are more about the process, these changes tend to alter the path I am on but not the destination I want to reach.
• Starting might be the most crucial step. A few small hacks make it easier to reach my goals. Making starting easy. Integrating goals into my morning routine. Allowing myself to do a small thing towards my goals. Working incrementally and moving from there
• Less is more. Keeping a minimal number of achievable things is preferable over a vast number of half efforts on which I cannot fully work.
• Stretch goals are useful and needed. Otherwise, success looks average, and worse my own goals could become limiting.
• I do not need new goals every year, so long as my goals are about betterment. Working towards the same goals, adding a new aspect, improving them slightly more year after year works for me. And it makes those life goals.
• Finally having a lightweight process about all goals keeps me motivated, helps me move, and importantly helps me move in the right direction. I do track and share (where it makes sense) my goals, celebrate success and reflect on my life and goals regularly.

Staying connected is one of the areas I want to work more on. In that vein, please say hi if you know me in person and you are reading this. I would love to hear from you.

Happy new year!