The School of Sass It’s that time of the year where we look back on what we’ve done and look forward to what we want to achieve for the year ahead! The thing is you may be feeling a bit ‘eh’ given omnicron – deja vu to last year anyone? *Sigh* Our post from last year is still as relevant as ever, especially if you are feeling ‘eh’ but if you feeling positive about 2022 then our in-depth goal setting tips and FREE worksheet are for you, so read on…
Setting Long Term Goals
If you want to achieve your life goals then you need to know three things, which you can figure out by asking yourself the following three questions:
- Desire: What do you really want?
- Drive: Why do you want it?
- Do: What do you need to do?
Write down everything you can think of (big or small) that you would like to change, achieve or do in the future. Your goals can be short-term or long-term. Given the unpredictability of our current covid climate, you will want to ensure they are flexible so you can adapt and pivot as the situation changes.
If you want to look at a goal that will take longer than 1 year, then identify what part of it you CAN do in year 1 and write it down. Goals can be personal, work-related, literally anything from learning how to cook to traveling to 30 countries in the next 7 years or maybe you want to increase your income. Anything YOU want! The trick is to write down everything you want from life.
Once you have your life wish list then look at the list and group the items that are similar or can be combined into one larger goal.
Then it is important to prioritize – look at your now simplified goal list and circle the ones that are your highest priority. You know yourself so you will know exactly how many goals to pick for your priority list and those you want to focus on for 2022. We would recommend about 3 – a career goal, a personal goal, and a fun goal! If you feel a bit deflated we would recommend starting with a smaller goal that you know you will achieve early on in the year – this will motivate you to keep going as you would have already had a win early on in the year!
“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisble into the visable”
– Tony Robbins
Break it down!
When it comes to long-term goals, especially if they are something you want to achieve in the next year or so it can be easy to just write it down and forget about it but nope we are not going to let you do that. Repeat after me – *I am going to achieve my goals!* Yes, say it louder!
So now that we have established this, in order to achieve long-term goals you need to break them down into smaller sub-goals. Think of your goals as the big movie picture and your sub-goals as the smaller TV series that make your goal approachable and keep you motivated!
Considering where you want to be in 12 months, start thinking about what would you need to accomplish in 9 months? And where would you need to be in 6 months to be on your way to the 9-month milestones? What about 3 months from now? Whilst we may not know how things will actually unfold, given circumstances we can’t control, it is still important to have a plan but remember it can change, and that is totally fine!
If you tend to feel overwhelmed by long-term plans then remind yourself you are only focusing on what is up next, not the final outcome. Think of it as a TV series – you don’t focus or skip to the ending, you watch and enjoy each episode, as the story unfolds.
Our downloadable worksheet comes into play now – thank us later.
Step 1: Download the worksheet!
Step 2: Focusing on the 2022 goals page, write down your priority main goals
Step 3: Then it is time to write down the sub-goal action steps! For example, let’s say you want to learn a language, the first sub-goal action step would include finding a good learning platform – you have to figure out whether you work better in an in-person class, or perhaps you prefer to learn on your own, either way, step one is finding what works for you. Another action step could be figuring out the specific situations you would want to speak the language. Let’s say you want to learn Spanish for when you travel – maybe you want to focus on the basics such as greetings, how to order food, ask for directions etc. Then the next action step would be to break the topics down so you learn 1 topic every 2 weeks – again it’s whatever works for YOU. You know your preferences and the time you have available.
“A goal without a timeline is just a dream”
– Robert Herjavec
1 Month Plan
Having a monthly plan is a great way to ensure you stay on track to achieve your long-term goals. This is where our 1-month plan worksheet comes in handy:
Step 1: Brainstorm all the tasks that you will need to accomplish in order to achieve the sub-goals in 30 days. Detail is important here because these tasks need to be executable so do not leave anything out. For example, let’s take learning a language – for the first month, you need to figure out how you want to learn, find a class, find a podcast etc. What’s the first topic you want to learn – basic greetings, asking for directions etc. Focus on everything for month 1, you will then repeat this for months 2 and 3, etc.
Step 2: Prioritize your brainstorm! A number system can work well here – rate each item on a scale of 1 to 4 by writing down numbers next to each one. #1 would be what you have to do before you can begin on other tasks (aka find a language class). #4 would be the least time-sensitive.
Step 3: Voila. You now have 4 weeks worth of tasks to work through! Keep this list to hand!
Weekly and Daily Planning
Weekly planning is important as it ensures you action everything you’ve put into your monthly plan and thus your long-term goals. It’s also important as it ensures you schedule what you want to achieve around your existing priorities and responsibilities. Look at your schedule and find the best time to do your weekly planning – perhaps you have time on a Sunday afternoon, if so set aside about 30 minutes to do weekly planning.
Step 1: We’ve created a Ta-Da list as it’s a sassier version of a ‘to-do’ list. Break down your #1 priority items from your monthly plan into actionable tasks for the upcoming week. These would go on your Ta-Da list.
Step 2: Of course, we all have responsibilities and priorities in life so have a look at these and then schedule any tasks that are time-framed around these. If you work a 9 to 5 but have free time in the evening to focus on your goals, schedule them in. Taking the language example if you have a class to attend at a specific time block out the time. If you are learning from online videos then pretend it’s a class and block the time out. This will ensure it will become part of your routine and thus a habit!
Step 3: Cross things off your Ta-Da list as you do them – this will keep you motivated to keep going.
While we are here it is important to remember that life happens and if you don’t get everything done on your weekly list that is fine. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Instead, work on it next week!
Step 4: If like us you love a daily list then we recommend you go a step further and create a daily Ta-Da list. Every morning before you begin your workday, look at what you have on your weekly Ta-Da list AND daily schedule (by this we mean your work/ life responsibilities). Write down everything you need to get done and then add in your daily goal sub-tasks. By doing this you may find you have an extra 10 minutes to work on one of your weekly goals. Again, as the day unfolds and you get things done, cross them off your list. This will make you feel good and motivated.
We’ve created motivational notebooks, which are perfect for writing down your daily Ta-Da lists. They have motivated prompts to keep you going. You can shop them here.
“Consistent action creates consistent results”
– Christine Kane
Finally…
When it comes to achieving your goals it is important to stay organized. The above may seem like a lot of steps but doing them will allow your goals to become part of your routine (like brushing your teeth). You have to put in the work in order to achieve your goals!
