How to Meet Personal Goals With a Busy Schedule

You have dreams and aspirations and even a plan to follow through with them. But maybe circumstances such as work and raising kids have hindered other personal goals that you’ve set for yourself. Once your goals of financial security and parenthood are established, it’s important to make room for other goals in order to maximize your personal potential.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Vision
• A pen and a few sheets of paper

Reclaiming Personal Goals

1. Be ruthlessly deliberate. It’s easy to lose focus of things when you’re exhausted or afraid that it’s taking time away from your family and friends. The time spent making excuses not to follow through with your goal-setting agenda could be better spent following through.
2. Put your schedule in writing to see how you can best utilize those few minutes between activities. For example, if your goal is to read a book, make sure that you have it on you at all times so that you can dive in during your spare time. Knowing how you spend (and waste) your time will allow room for accomplishing goals.
3. Make a visual map that includes your goals and exactly how you are going to achieve them. Be as specific as possible. Place the map in a place where you can see it every day.
4. Get those around you involved. This is called accountability. Once they see that you’ve put your mind to accomplishing your goal, they’ll hold you to it and encourage you along the way.
5. Keep track of your progress. One of the easiest ways to boost self-esteem and solidify determination is to take small steps and cross them off one by one. Goals are mountains to be climbed, not sprints.
6. Don’t be easily discouraged. If one of your goals is to lose twenty pounds, don’t beat yourself up over an ounce of chocolate. Assign one splurge day a week instead of doing away with sweets and fats altogether (this is how goals becomes grudges that you hold against yourself, which is a no-no).
7. Reward yourself. Reaching the goal is a reward in itself, but some goals need more bribing than others (refer back to losing twenty pounds).

Tips & Warnings

• Taking personal time shouldn’t induce a guilt trip. It is an emotional necessity to have respite from the rigors of daily routine.
• Set reasonable goals. Setting unreasonable goals takes its toll over a period of time and will leave you drained and unwilling to pursue more goals.