How to Set Goals and Stick to Them

It is easy to set goals for yourself, millions do it every year in the form of New Years Resolutions! The hard part is sticking with them, and seeing them come to fruition.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Your goal notebook
• Your calendar or day timer

How To Brainstorm Your Goals

1. Divide your paper into five sections and make the following headings for them: Spiritual, Mental/Educational, Professional/Financial, Personal, and Fun.

2. Below each, write down as many things as you can think of that you would do if you knew you couldn't fail. Don't stop until you run out of ideas.

3. Close your eyes and imagine the ideal you in five and ten years. Which of these items you just wrote down fit this ideal?

4. Circle the top three in each category that would move you the closest to this ideal.

How to Rewrite These as Goals

5. Take each section from your scratch paper and recopy the top three into your goal notebook.

6. Below each goal, write down easily doable steps that you can take to achieve each.

7. Add a time frame to each step, and a deadline for the overall goal.

8. Identify additional resources you will need for each step, and write them along side the steps in your notebook.

9. Add each deadline to your calendar or day timer.

How to Manage Yourself to Reach Your Goals

10. Every day upon rising, review all your goals.

11. Incorporate some of the steps towards each goal in your To-Do list every day.

12. Every night before going to sleep, reread your goal list and measure your progress.

13. Revise steps as necessary, or add more steps as they become apparent.

Tips & Warnings

• Reviewing your goals twice a day will keep your subconscious mind focused on them.
• Don't let your inner critic interfere with this step!

[vrogers]

on 4/4/2009 I like the idea of reviewing goals daily to keep them in my subconscious. Thanks!