I wrote this blog post in January 2020, pre the global pandemic where the world was our oyster. I myself have re-written my goals and created a new vision board and wanted to share exactly how I did this! I used the exact same principle I did in January, just with a few additions and took off a few things (like travel!). Whatever your situation right now it’s a great way to look at the year so far, what things have you found a new love for, where to you want to invest more time and energy! There’s no reason why 2020 can’t still be a fantastic year! 

I’ve put together the steps I used on how to make realistic, actionable and measurable goals for a fabulous year!

SO here goes…

CREATE A VISION BOARD
Before I made a list of goals I wanted a visual representation of how I wanted the year to look to motivate me. You can create this however you prefer, an illustration (my drawing skills are on par with a 2 year old), magazine cuttings, design etc. You can see the one I created below using Canva. I love a good mood board so really enjoyed making this! It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else but you, it’s purpose is to make you feel motivated every single time you look at it (having it somewhere you will see it a lot helps, like a desktop background on your laptop).

My January 2020 mood board

WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS
Next up, I started writing down everything on my mind by making a brainstorm of ‘my ideals’. I’m old school and prefer to handwrite this but you could also just used the notes section on your phone. I created ideals for four different sections;

CAREER
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
HEALTH
HOME

It’s easy to write a list of 4385 things but, being realistic, you only have about 16 waking hours in the day and with 10 of those at work/commuting (this was written BC – before Corona), and then working out, cooking etc, it doesn’t leave masses of time. Unfortunately we are unable to stop time just yet, so you need to be realistic with what you can get done in the time you have available.

I then wrote down 6 main goals (number is up to you!) – I wrote them out on nice paper, in my best handwriting, and have them on my bedside table, so they are visible morning and night. You might want to put them up next to where you have your morning coffee, or where you brush your teeth, just somewhere you will see them every day.

ADD EMOTION TO EACH GOAL
How will you feel if you achieve each goal? What will be different about your life from it? What benefits will you see? It’s great to add a tangible emotion to your goal so you can really visualise you making it happen.

From picturing what will change if you achieve this goal it will motivate you to want to achieve it. I did this for each of the goals, I’ve kept it on a note in Evernote as I’m most likely to lose a piece of paper (sad but true) and can access this when I’m on my phone or desktop.

CREATE AN ACTION PLAN FOR EACH GOAL
For each goal write down/type out what needs to be done in order to achieve it. It’s just like when you head to Tesco, even though you have it clear in your head what you want/need, if you don’t write a list you bet you will forget something. For example when I set my goal a couple of years back to set up a blog I wrote down everything that I needed to do i.e buy a domain, set up website etc. You need to have a plan of what you need to achieve to hit that main goal, it’s unlikely it’s just one thing. Then set yourself realistic timeframes of when and how you will complete these.

MAKE SMALL ACHIEVABLE HABITS TO AID BIGGER GOALS
Some of your goals will be reliant on you taking action regularly. Making a task into a habit for me has been an absolute game changer. Once something is a habit you don’t even need to think about it. One of my main goals is linked to gut health, a sub-goal within that is to take probiotics everyday. I don’t think twice about brushing my teeth twice a day but still find it difficult to remember to take a tablet with my breakfast, because it’s not part of my routine yet. A simple iphone reminder can help but I also got a ‘CEO of your own life’ diary for Christmas (would recommend, linked here) it has a habit tracker and if, like me, ticking something off gives you joy, I would recommend creating a habit tracker and having it next to your bed to fill in each night.

SET YOURSELF MILESTONES
I work better under pressure, so I like to create small milestones that hold me accountable and motivated. If you give yourself 12 months, it’s likely you won’t start straight away. I also like to put things in my diary to work towards, this may be quite difficult now but put in a duvet day or a day of reading or baking!

CHECK IN WITH YOURSELF MONTHLY
The months are FLYING, how is it nearly June?! Holding yourself accountable and planning out your time for each month is a great way of sticking to your goals. I have a section in my diary where I plan out my month. I put in my work commitments and plans inc general life admin in there I can see where I have free-time. It will also highlight where you have a lack of it!

PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK FOR SMALL WINS & ENJOY IT
Don’t stress of feel overwhelmed that it’s nearly June, you’d be surprised how much you can achieve with the right mindset. If you’ve made realistic and measurable goals they will require effort, but you shouldn’t be struggling. Remember why you’re wanting to achieve the goal and give yourself a well deserved pat on the back to celebrate your small wins!

Happy planning!

Abbie

xxx