The usefulness of goal setting is well known. We all get carried at with it at New Years, making resolutions and promises to introduce to new routines and habits, but how many of us follow up and check in with ourselves as the year goes on? How many of us use other techniques to ensure we stay on track. Take a moment now to ask yourself if you have stuck with the goals you set some months back. Have some or all of them fallen by the wayside? What are the factors that have prevented you from being able to carry them out — did you give it enough time?Did you set the bar too high? How long anyway does it take for us to be able to establish a new habit — 21 days, 66 days, or 84 days?
My favourite website Brainpickings, tells more about this here.
I’ve found that if I break my goals down into yearly, monthly,weekly and daily, I do much better. And if I skip from yearly straight to daily goals it’s even better. I don’t even make my daily goals a week ahead, more like the night before, or even the morning of the day in question. (The night before is better as it pre-programs your brain for the morning tasks, like turning on a timer). The beauty of this system is that you readjust as you go along. What you don’t finish one day, you move to the next and so on. New ideas that crop up can be added in as you go. And don’t forget to include other goals as well, like exercising (did you know walking changes your brain), socialising, eating well and other creative activities.
The great thing too about daily goals is you are renewing your commitment on a daily basis. And enlivening that promise with spontaneous energy — the energy of the moment. And you don’t have the big weight of a far off deadline hanging over your head. You have chunked it down into bite sized pieces, something that’s do-able, not impossible. Read more and try it out here.
You can even take your daily goals travelling. Why not join us:
Haiku Walking in Japan Nov 1-11
Moroccan Caravan, Jan 26 – Feb 8, 2017
Happy Writing!
