Effective Goal Setting

Hi everyone!

If you’re like me, ideas pop into your head all day every day. What if I did this? or I want to write that or I have to make those! As a creative professional with 15 years of experience in the art, design and marketing world, I can tell you that an artist’s brain NEVER stops working, visualizing, creating. It can get pretty overwhelming at times. In particular, I have a tendency to attach a goal to every idea. What usually ends up happening is, I get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of it all, stop and then do none of it.

I recently watched a video where the speaker suggested limiting the number of goals we endeavor. I know it seems counterintuitive but setting too many goals, or too many similar goals, or too many goals with the same timeline can overwhelm you and derail your progress. Every goal is not immediate. It’s unrealistic to move on every goal at once and expect each to receive the proper amount of attention.

By curating your goals, you can filter the ones that are a burning desire from those that are important but can wait.

Second, let’s understand how to implement effective goal setting because make no mistake there is a difference between effective goal setting and scribbling down a list of stuff you want to do in life. Effective goal setting is the process of identifying something that you want to accomplish and establishing measurable actions and timeframes. My version of effective goal setting looks something like this, in this order:
1. The inception of the idea (this is the end-result or finished product)
2. Writing out the goal itself
3. Listing each action item required to accomplish the goal
4. Scheduling a timeline for each action item
5. Tracking results to measure goal achievement

Get my goal-setting worksheet for FREE to begin writing your action plan now.

Can you imagine repeating all these steps for more than one or two goals at a time?! I’m sleepy just thinking about it. I don’t mean to insinuate you should not form long-term goals—and perhaps this post should be called effective short-term goal setting—I believe each goal should live in its proper space in time. Don’t consume yourself with long-term goals today. They should not be included in your current action plan. Long-term goals should be written down and kept visible until activated but nothing more than that—unless your current plan is directly in service of that long-term goal.

I now subscribe to the idea that I will limit my goals from one to two at a time and physically write out the effective goal-setting plan above. Intentionally limiting your goals allows you to focus from beginning to end and rewards you with a sense of accomplishment—ultimately motivating you to stay consistent.

Time Saving at the Gym

Hi everyone!

I’m back in the gym after two and a half weeks! I can tell you that aside from being extremely sore, I have a new tool to help me stay organized and motivated. Yes, I just referred to my new gym bag as a tool and, yes, I said it keeps me motivated!

I’ve been on the hunt for a gym bag that is compact enough to carry to-and-from work while offering ample storage. This bag has interior and exterior compartments for your phone, travel-size toiletries and sweaty garments you might want to keep tucked away. The size is perfect, being large enough to fit all my stuff but small enough to stow in narrow lockers—I can use the drawstring to cinch the bag closed and keep everything secure. The material and straps are thick and durable. Since I’m pretty rough on my stuff, the black color will be very forgiving and keep it looking as good as possible, for as long as possible.

You may be asking, how is this a tool? For one thing, the compartments keep everything organized and sorted. My biggest time sucker at the gym is the locker room, I can waste up to 20 minutes pre-and-post workout. Now having the ability to reach into my bag and put my hands directly on what I need has reduced my changing time by 10 minutes. That’s almost an hour in time savings during a typical work week!

Mid-day workouts have been proven to keep me consistent so squeezing every exercise minute out of an hour is important to me. I stay motivated knowing I can spend more time exercising.

Make it a regular practice to research tools that will aid you in your goals. Whether it’s downloading an app that reminds you to drink water every hour (yes, I have that!) or setting up a “keep the change” feature with your bank that rounds purchases up to the next dollar and deposits the difference into your savings account (yes, I have that too!). 

What tools do you use to stay organized? What could you be doing more efficiently in your daily/weekly routine?

Intentional Commitment

Hi everyone!

2019 already feels different. This year, there is just something new in the air. Maybe it's the political and social climate in which we now find ourselves, maybe it's the renewed boom in entrepreneurship and tech. Whatever the case, people are committing their thoughts, opinions and actions to make changes.

I have also chosen to commit this year—the commitment to investing in myself! I am choosing me this year. At times, I have poured into others with little to no return, but if I know that I am a good investment why wouldn't I give myself the same support, if not more? 

"Investing in yourself is about more than just money. It’s about sacrificing the new time required to achieve goals and believing that you are worth the challenge." --Maya Gatewood

This year I am making the intentional commitment to push "go" on my spiritual walk, business and the ideas I have had for years. Is it scary? Is it overwhelming? Is there the possibility of falling short? Yes! But I cannot say I failed if I never tried. This conviction started with one step—registering for an online course to help me level up. Money may be tight, the outcome may be uncertain, but I had to start with that one step, and each step after will inform the next.

Baby Steps

Sometimes it's not the big steps but the little ones that can propel us faster, building confidence with each achievement. For example, say you want to create a complex food dish but the prep and cooking time and the long list of ingredients make you want to give up before you even start. If you take the instructions step by step, the process seems more manageable. With the recipe broken down into digestible pieces, you are less likely to feel overwhelmed by the amount of work involved and more likely to feel confident by mastering smaller tasks. Think about applying the same principle to your life. Just start with the first step and focus on accomplishing that. Maybe it's printing out the application for college enrollment, packing your gym bag at night and putting it by the door, or writing out bullet points for your business proposal. Once you've conquered the first step, you'll feel motivated to move on to the second, and before you know it your goal is just one step away.

What are some things you are committing to this year? What's the first step on the path to your goal? What strategies can you implement to get there faster? What will you do to keep yourself motivated when challenges arise?