5 Steps to Getting Organized and Achieving Your Goals
Spring is here and it's just as good a time as any to finally get organized and achieve your goals. It’s a new season and you can reevaluate your progress from the beginning of the year.
I know that setting goals is hard work in itself, and actually achieving them is an even bigger challenge, so if you’re always finding yourself failing at this, here are five steps to getting organized and achieving your goals.
1. Write down your goals
Sometimes using a pen and paper or notebook is more effective than a list on your smartphone. Write down your goals, including your motivation for them. This way you can prioritize which goals are more important for you and the ones you’re more likely to work to achieve. You could even treat yourself to a personalized notebook with your favorite motivational quotes. If you are interested in customized stationery, learn more.
2. Do your homework
In order to set goals and achieve them, you need to think carefully about the resources you will need and who’s involved. This is especially the case if your goals are work or study-related. Do a bit of homework online, speak to the necessary people, and this will help you set a realistic timeframe for your goals. For example, one of my goals this year is to finally get my learners license so I can start driving school. This means I’ll have to do some research on requirements, where I need to go to apply, fees, etc.
3. Set a deadline
According to the SMART goals model, all objectives should be time-bound. This means you need to set a deadline for each task to stay organized. Set notifications for yourself or write them on your calendar so you don’t lose track. If you don’t meet the deadlines for your goals, don’t give up. Simply reevaluate your to-do list and plans accordingly. Look to the past to help you plan how long you will need. Perhaps you’ve tried to achieve similar goals in the past and the problem was the timeframe.
4. Celebrate each milestone
It’s important to celebrate each achievement, big or small. This will encourage you to stay motivated and feel like a winner. You could have a reward system in place, or decide how you’re going to treat yourself each time. Buy yourself a little present, or get some quality me-time. Take into account all the challenges you face on a daily basis as well, and you will develop winning habits. As for me, I like to reward myself with cake or an item I’ve been thinking about buying for a while.
5. Learn from the past
As well as celebrating your latest achievements, remember to get inspiration from the past. Each attempt you make is an important step towards success, so even if you think back to a time you failed, you will learn something. Success and failure go hand in hand so use your past experiences to help you be more productive in the future. This will help you reevaluate your goals and make them more attainable. You can also reflect on the ways you used to motivate yourself in the past and their effectiveness. Understand what works for you and get your priorities straight.
