Setting goals for the New Year

Now that the New Year is here, it’s time to put your goals into action! In our previous post, we talked about how to plan for new goals and resolutions – but now it is time to start working towards your goal. Planning is important, but putting your plans into action is another challenge. Follow these steps to make sure you stay on track and maintain your goals throughout the year:

Set manageable goals

As we mentioned in our post on planning for New Year resolutions, one of the most important parts of setting a goal is to make sure it is manageable. Goals are supposed to be set benchmarks or targets that you want to reach by the end of the year or a certain period of time. In order for them to be successful, make sure that your goals are actually achievable, and something that you can work towards and stay focused on. You shouldn’t have to be changing or adapting your goals because you don’t have the time or energy to work on them. When you set your goal, make sure you have the resources, means and motivation to achieve your goal. You need to make sure you have time to work towards it, and support from friends and family to see it through.

For example, if your goal is to get organized, make sure you are able to set aside time each day or week to work on a section of your home. Do you have a full-time job or activity that will prevent you from working towards your goal? Is it a goal that you can accomplish in one year, or should you dedicate more time to it?

Have realistic expectations

When setting a goal, know that it is something you are not going to achieve overnight, or probably even at the end of the month. Goals are usually set for a year, or even longer, for a reason. They take time and dedication to see them through. Prepare yourself for a long road ahead and be realistic about how long and how challenging it may be to accomplish. Don’t expect to see a noticeable change or result at the end of the first week. Visible changes will take time, so remind yourself throughout the process that results will happen if you keep working and stay focused. Goals are not tasks that you can accomplish right away, but rather year-long or more commitments that you will need to spend time on in order to see results.

If your goal is to get organized, it’s important to realize that it won’t take a few quick steps to accomplish. Getting organized and maintaining your organized home or life requires time and effort. For example, it’s almost impossible to tackle your entire home right away. Instead, start with small, simple tasks (like the junk drawer or kitchen pantry) and work up to larger projects. By being realistic about the process of getting organized, you will be more successful in achieving your goal.

Make goals attainable

It’s important to be practical about the timeline of your goal. Don’t underestimate how long it will take you to see noticeable changes. It is unreasonable to think that you will have your whole house organized by the end of the first month. Not only is it a lot of work to complete, but problems or life events may come up during the process which can delay your timeline. Make sure your goal is attainable – give yourself enough time, or more time than you would expect. This way, you will have a better chance of achieving your goal and prevent yourself from becoming discouraged or stressed out when your planned timeline comes quicker than expected.

It may also be helpful to work with a friend or family member to achieve your goal. Trying to complete it on your own may not be practical for you, so consider finding another person to work on this goal with you. Setting a goal as a team works great for home organizing. Not only will this help you attain your goal, but it will ensure that everyone in your home continues to maintain your organized state beyond your anticipated completion date.

Remember: small, consistent changes create big everlasting results

When you are working towards your goal, stay focused and know that each milestone you hit and each small change or task you accomplish helps you work towards your final goal. Producing small results on a continual basis can help you stay on track without overwhelming you during the process. For example, during the month of January, Calm Order is posting small organization tasks you can accomplish each day to help you get your home organized. Although one month doesn’t cover every small task that needs to be completed, the idea of organizing one small section or area at a time will eventually lead to a home that is completely organized. Take the idea of doing one small task each day and continue it throughout the year or time period you have set for yourself.

When you set a goal for this year, make sure that it is manageable and attainable. Be realistic about your progress and what you will be able to achieve in the time you have set for yourself, and remember that small accomplishments will lead to big and lasting change when your goal is finally realized.

Goal setting for 2018

In January, many people set goals for themselves for the new year ahead, but more often than not, these goals are forgotten by the time February comes along. To make sure this doesn’t happen again this year, be smart about what goals you decide to set so you can see them through to the end result.

 The first step of goal setting, whether it’s short-term (something you want to get done in the next few days or weeks) or long-term (something you want to achieve in a year or more) is to look at the big picture. Decide what it is you want to ultimately achieve, without worrying about the details yet. For example, you might want to get your home organized. This is a major undertaking that must be carefully considered – just saying you want to get organized is not enough to fully realize your goal.

 A popular method for setting personal goals is the SMART method, which starts with setting specific goals. While it is important to have an overall idea of what you ultimately want to achieve, it is important to narrow this down to more manageable goals that have a specific focus. If you want to organize your home, you may want to focus on achieving organization in a single area of your home. Now, the insurmountable task of organizing your home in 2018, becomes organize the kitchen in February, and organize the office in March, and so on.  

 The next step to this process is measurable, because in order to clearly understand what it is you want to achieve, you must be able to determine that you have actually achieved it. Here, the goals you set become a bit more focused. Now that you have the organization narrowed down to a room of your home, you can further determine what you want to do to get organized. For example, you may want to set a goal to organize your kitchen so you can eliminate clutter in your cupboards and drawers, clean out old food items and condiments in your fridge, and get rid of the pile of unused cookbooks.

 Your goals must also be achievable. Think carefully and be honest with yourself when you are setting goals. Is this something that you are able and willing to dedicate the time to? Getting organized is a big commitment that not only involves spending the initial time to declutter, sort through, and put away – it involves changing your lifestyle and habits to ensure you stay organized in the long-term. Once you consider your goal of getting organized, this may need to be rethought if you aren’t going to be able to dedicate the time need to get organized.

 Not only do your goals have to be achievable, they also have to be realistic. If you’re busy at work, involved in a lot of evening and weekend activities, or have other events happening in your life, this may not be the time to focus on a home organization goal. Goal setting requires time and dedication, and although you may want to take the time for them, life may not always make it easy.

 Lastly, it is important to determine a time frame for when you want your goal to be achieved. As it is still the start of the new year, many people will be planning on what they can achieve within the year. It is important to be realistic with this step – wanting to achieve a goal within the year is different than actually being able to do it. Be practical, and give yourself ample time to achieve your goals. You will only end up disappointing yourself or causing unnecessary stress if you rush the process.

 Goal setting is not as easy as it may seem. It requires careful planning, time and dedication to the ultimate goal you want to achieve. Be specific with your goals, and make sure they are measurable so you can better determine if you are on the right track to achieving your goal. It is also important to make sure that your goals are achievable, realistic, and can be completed in a specified time frame. This process requires you to be honest with yourself, and really think about whether or not you are able to fully dedicate yourself to the task.

Get SMART! Achieving your dreams and aspirations for the future can be possible!