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Hey y’all! February has finally arrived, after what felt like the longest January ever (am I right?!). The newness of the year has worn off and for some of us, that means our New Year’s Resolutions are already falling to the wayside. That’s why I thought this would be a good time to share with you my goal planning system. It doesn’t have to be a new year to start fresh, so grab your planner and lets dive in!
The “why” Behind Goal Planning
I am somewhat of a goal-setting junkie. It comes from having a type-A personality. I like to plan and I like to organize. Most importantly, I like to feel like I have accomplished something. The feeling of crossing something off a todo list, brings me so much joy. Stop looking at me, like I’m crazy! If you are reading this, I’m sure you have a similar personality. Even if you don’t, that doesn’t mean you can’t set some goals for yourself.
What’s the purpose of setting goals? The answer may seem obvious. We want to better ourselves and keep moving forward, right? That’s true, but our own personal “why” has to come from a deeper place than that, if we are going to actually push towards achieving said goals. So, when you consider what your goals are, you need to also make the reason for them crystal clear. If you can’t figure out your reason, then you may need to reevaluate what you are working towards.
My Goal Planning System
I’ve already talked about the first step to the process, which is figuring out “why” you want to work towards a certain goal. Now, I want to share the actual steps I use to achieve my goals and how I use my planner to assist me.
I have read a lot about personal development, organization, and goal-setting. I have discussed my love of the Getting Things Done method (by David Allen) before, but I will bring him up again, because I really love the analogy he uses for goals/projects.
He uses an airplane as an example:
- 50,000 feet – large life goals, that you want to attain
- 40,000 feet – 3-5 year outlook
- 30,000 feet – 1-2 year outlook
- 20,000 feet – areas of responsibility
- 10,000 feet – your active projects
- Runway – next actions
My current planner system, includes a Passion Planner, which is what I use for setting goals. The Passion Roadmap, is perfect for setting a big goal and breaking it down into smaller, actionable, steps. The monthly reflection also helps me to keep checking in on all of my current goals. This keeps me from letting them fall of track for too long.
For my day-to-day tasks and my next actions list, I use my personal size Filofax. After I break down the long-term goals, in my Passion Planner, I try to take the baby step actions and schedule them for certain days. Sometimes, I don’t need them to be day specific, so that’s when they will land on the next action list.
I also like to continually challenge myself from week-to-week, by setting health related goals, in my Passion Planner. I track things like steps, weight, and water intake. The big picture goal is weight loss and improved fitness, but the weekly actions I need to take are pretty much the same: eating healthy, exercising, etc.
Some big picture goals, will have have different tasks to complete from week-to-week. The important part is that you take an hour or two, at the end of each week, to evaluate these and make sure you are getting done what needs to be done.
A few tips for Goal Planning
- Don’t beat yourself up, if you don’t don’t get something done. It’s important to give yourself grace, especially if you have had a hard week.
- Don’t give up, just because you fall off track. If you have let your goals drop off your radar, for a short time, that’s okay. Just remember to pick them back up. Keep Going.
- SCHEDULE THE TIME. This is so important. If you are going to keep up with it, you need to schedule it. We are all busy. You just need to make your goals a priority. You chose them for a reason.
- Choose a system that you will stick with. I use a Passion Planner and Filofax, but you may be more of a digital planner and that’s okay. Do what works for your life. If you need to use sticky notes and just put them all of your house. Hey, girl…you do you.
I hope this has helped you some. If you feel even more overwhelmed, feel free to reach out to me, through email or social media. My desire isn’t to confuse you or make you feel like you need to do something a certain way. I just want to give you some ideas, based on what has helped me. I would love to hear if you have any tips of your own! What does your goal planning system look like? Comment down below!
Until next time!
Much Love,
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