Like several other people, a lot of us started 2020 with a list of goals we wanted to tick off and achieve at the end of the year. However, life happened along the way, and we either stopped trying, forgot about them or realised we weren’t so realistic. Wahala be like bicycle sometimes, abi?
Since a new year brings endless possibilities, 2021 is another opportunity to do things right. If you have personal goals you want to achieve by the 31st of December, you’ll need to re-strategise. Here’s a little guide to help you:
Set ‘SMARTer’ goals
You’ve most likely heard about the SMART approach to goal-setting: ensuring that your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound. However, entrepreneur.com suggests setting SMARTER goals, by ensuring that these goals are evaluated and Re-Adjusted. In other words, as you work towards achieving your stated goals, you must evaluate and re-adjust them. To do this, you must keep track of your goals and ensure that they are prioritised.
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Write them down
Undocumented goals are simply wishes. By writing your goals down, they take on a sense of importance, as you can always revisit them and make adjustments when necessary.
Get rid of your bad habits
Think of some of the goals you didn’t achieve last year- maybe you wanted to read more, take some more courses or even date someone new. How many of those goals went down the drain because of certain bad habits? A significant number of them, probably.
Bad habits can foil your goals by holding you back and making your road to achieving them very foggy. Do some introspection and highlight what bad habits you still have. Make conscious efforts to curb them, and be intentional about doing so.
Manage your distractions
There are tons of distractions fighting for our attention every single day. Seriously. If it isn’t social media, it’s an unhealthy relationship drama, TV or something else. Sometimes, it’s hard to drown out the noise but it’s something you have to do, in order to attain the goals you have set out to achieve.
While not all distractions are bad, they can still hinder you if you do not manage them wisely. Know what your distractions are—even the minor ones— ånd make daily decisions to get them out of the way.
Manage your time
Have you ever wondered how some people get so much done in such little time while you struggle to, despite the fact that we have the same 24 hours? Well, there could be a number of reasons, but a significant one is that they tend to manage their time better. Time is a funny concept and sometimes, 24 hours are simply not enough to get things done.
Entrepreneur.com suggests using the quadrant time management system, which divides your time into four quadrants- managing important & critical issues (short-term problems), focusing on important but not urgent issues (long-term strategic goals), avoiding urgent but not important ( distractions & interruptions) and limiting activities that are not important & not urgent ( time-wasting). This way, you can effectively manage your time, making it easier to meet your goals.
Put them out there
If you are comfortable doing so, put your goals out in the public. You can write them in an article so that your blog readers can see them, tweet them or tell your community about the, By doing this, they become more important to you, and you have a group of people to hold you accountable and provide moral support.
Have an accountability partner
If you are not comfortable telling strangers or too many people about your goals, you can get an accountability partner- a like-minded person who can keep you on your toes, motivate you and help out when you require them to. Your accountability partner must be strategically chosen- do not choose someone who does not motivate or inspire you.
Track your progress
When you have written your goals down, you should track them regularly. Luckily, there are systems and software to help you out. You can make use of Microsoft Excel, Strides, digitised to-do lists, and others. Track your goals daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly, so that you never lose sight of them
Best of luck this year!
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