Well, it’s been quite a while since I sat down and wrote a blog post… this honestly feels rather strange. I’ve struggled to find the inspiration to write along with finding the right things I want to share. The start of 2020 has been for lack of better words, a roller coaster.
I’ve shared my struggles on Instagram, but I’ve been seriously struggling mentally. Struggling with my relationships with loved ones. As you know I started a new job a couple of weeks ago and was thrown in feet first to client communication, report creation, and analysis that I’ve never done before. I struggled to leave a comfortable job with a supportive and relaxed working environment, to join this fast-paced and rapidly growing agency. I had no idea if I was going to enjoy the new job. If the move was going to be good for my career and most importantly how it was going to affect my blog. For the last week and a half, I have worked long nights and just tried to work on a daily routine and creating relationships with my coworkers. I think I went to bed immediately after finishing dinner every single night. This career change turned my 2020 goals upside down. My “new year resolutions” had to be adjusted slightly to fit my new daily routine.
With the big change, the biggest thing I’ve learned is that no matter what your goals are for the new year they can be adjusted but they must always be SMART in order to reach them. If you haven’t created SMART goals before they are really simple and can be created for any aspect of your life.
When I’m writing my goals for the year I always keep the little acronym SMART in mind. It stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. Crafting your goals this way helps you keep yourself accountable and allows you to set check-ins with yourself to make sure you’re on track no matter how long or short your timeline is.
S- Specific
Be very detailed in what your final goal is. When writing your goals don’t simply say “I want to get fit” this doesn’t answer any of the “w” questions and doesn’t give any motivation on how to attain this goal. Instead, try something like “I want a six-pack and to fit into a size 2 by June 1st.” this gives you specifics on what your end goal is “having a six-pack and being a size 2.” Think of the specifics as a mission statement of your goal. When writing down your goal try answering the general “w” questions, who, what, when, which, and why.
M – Measurable
You have to make sure there is a way to track the progress of your goals. If your goal is to get 15,000 followers on Instagram by March 15th using the follower counter on your profile is a great way to keep track of your follower number. When thinking of measurability answer the questions:
How much?
How many?
How will I know I’ve accomplished the goal?
If you’re creating a long term goal that will span months or even years make sure you set milestones for yourself to check-in on your progress.
A – Achievable
This honestly might be the most important part of the goal writing process. Your goals need to be achievable, now don’t get me wrong I am the queen of lofty goals, setting my sights for outcomes that are a challenge to reach. But you always want to keep your mental health and personal life in mind. Rome wasn’t built in a day, don’t try to bite off more than you can chew. Setting goals like “I will take HITT classes, 3 days a week and yoga the other 4 because I want to work out every day” for me this really doesn’t seem like an achievable goal because 1 I hate cardio, and 2 because I love hanging out with my friends, and need time to spend on my blog. Instead, I know a fitness goal I could attain is making time for workouts 4 days so I can fit into a new bikini this summer.
R – Relevant
I like to break my goals down into categories, goals for my personal life, my blog, financial goals, and career goals. From there I will bucket my goals into each category. Your goals no matter what should matter to you, at the end of the day they should positively impact your life whether it’s planning 3 long weekend trips to 3 different states in the next two months or maybe it’s planning to pay off your student loans by September. Another question to keep in mind is Does this match my other efforts/needs? If my goal is to eliminate debt and travel more this year are these goals in line with my bigger goals.
T – Time-bound
Finally binding your goals to a timeline helps keep yourself accountable and as I mentioned above in Measurable having a beginning and end to your goal allows you to set up those self check-ins to make sure you’re on the right path and also gives you an idea of if you should adjust the goal or not.
Goal writing doesn’t have to be difficult as long as you keep time, relevant to bettering your life, keeping your goals within reach, measurable and details you can feel inspired and ready to check each goal off your list. Did you write goals for 2020? What are they?