It’s Sunday - the perfect time for reflecting on the week ahead and planning for the one that’s about to begin. The focus for today is goal setting - making plans for the week ahead.
Goal setting is nothing new. We all do it. There are plenty of goal-setting apps and tools out there. The market is huge, but I can’t help but feel that we’re over-complicating things, and that our tendency to overcomplicate is part of the reason why we often fail to achieve our goals.
In truth, we don’t need any software, devices or a £4.99 app to set our goals. We just need ourselves. And perhaps a piece of paper, too.
So how do you set goals effectively? How do you maximise your chances of fulfilling them?
The key is to keep things really simple. To refrain from overloading ourselves with duties and responsibilities. To keep things as straightforward as possible. That way, we won’t wind up feeling stressed and falling behind.
That being said, here’s a really simple guide to setting goals for the week ahead.
Brainstorm. If you don’t yet know what it is that you’d like to accomplish, brainstorm. Write down whatever comes to mind. Throw anything down. It doesn’t matter if you actually do them or not. This part is just about putting your thoughts onto paper.
Which thing will change your life the most? Time to prune back that list. Which one thing will have the biggest impact on your life if you complete it this week? That goal might take longer than a week, and that’s okay - but you have to start somewhere. Decide which one or two things should be at the top of your priority pile and cross out all of the others.
What can you do to make that happen? Now you’ve got a goal. How are you going to achieve it? Are you going to hit the gym three times between now and next Sunday? Are you going to write every day? Are you going to construct a business plan? Whatever it is, decide on the necessary steps you’ll need to take to bridge the gap between you and goal-completing glory.
Perhaps you have far more than one or two goals. I’m sure most of us do. Regardless, keep things simple and just stick to just a couple for now. That way, you’ll be far more likely to actually achieve them.
Focus on one goal and turn that goal into a habit. When it’s done, move onto the next. Rinse and repeat.
Sunday Reflection: As the week draws to a close and another begin to unfold, it’s time to look back over the past seven days and check in with ourselves. Is everything going to plan? Are we staying on track? Did we live up to our goals? And if not, what changes can we make? That’s what Sunday Reflection is all about.
Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash