Let’s imagine you really were going to walk a distance of a thousand miles. You certainly wouldn’t plan on trying to accomplish it all in one day. It would be impossible and you would get discouraged and exhausted after the first 50 miles and give up. Realistically planning, you would most likely break the journey up into more manageable milestones say 20 miles per day, with an end goal of completing your journey over 50 days.
Today, you are going to do the same thing with the goals you have chosen. Setting realistic expectations for yourself will help you actually achieve your goals. As you use the worksheets in this section to create your plan, remember that realistic goal setting will take into consideration-
-How much time you really have available.
-Allowing for ‘time off’ due to sickness, unexpected activities and those days when you are not feeling motivated.
-What type of support you have from family, friends or other potential accountability partners.
Before we begin planning, let’s take a look at the two different types of goals we most commonly create-
Project-Oriented Goal
A project-oriented goal is temporary and will have an end. It may be something like, clean and organize the garage, scan all your pictures and paperwork, replace the carpeting in the basement, get out of debt or crochet a scarf. The goal has a definite end to it once the project is completed.
Habit-Forming Goal
Goals that form long-term habits are some of the most commonly made at the beginning of the year or a new season of life. Start exercising, create a morning or evening routine, cut back on sweets or don’t get into more debt are all habit-forming goals that are meant to change your lifestyle permanently.
As you look at the top four goals you wrote down yesterday, determine if they are ‘project’ or ‘habit’ goals. Identifying them will be necessary as you begin using the planning worksheet(s). Based on your goal types, download and print the corresponding worksheet and fill one out for each goal.
Click Here for Instructions on Filling Out Goal Planning Worksheets
Start & End Dates
For habit goal planning, you will be choosing only a start date. After all, if it’s a new habit, it’s not supposed to end. For a project based goal, you will want a definitive starting and ending date, however, begin with only your start date, and after you have planned the rest of your steps and given yourself the dates to complete those steps, you can then go back and enter your estimated end date.
*Note-Be sure you choose a start date that is not going to conflict with a big event that will make it difficult to reach your steps. Events such as vacations, weddings, or the holidays will likely cause some difficulty as you are starting out, so it would be best to begin after.
Habit or Goal
In this block you will want to enter the end goal or habit you have chosen as the priority you will be working towards.
Day(s) & Time Slot
This is an extremely important part of planning. You will want to choose a day(s) and time that is always available to you, perhaps early mornings, evenings or on the weekend if needed. Be willing to sacrifice other things like a TV show or browsing online to find a chunk of time that will work for you consistently.
Reminder/Accountability
Be sure to set a reminder as you are working towards your goal. Using a simple alarm on your phone or computer will work just fine, having it sound 5-10 minutes prior to when you have setup your time slot. You will also be using a worksheet for tracking your progress (in next section). If you have a willing spouse or friend, it can help to have them ask you on a regular basis how you are doing with your goal.
Reward
As you are completing the steps towards your goal, it helps to have a reward to look forward to receiving. Of course, forming the habit or completing the project will be the greatest reward, but it can help significantly to give yourself smaller rewards along the way to help you keep the momentum going. Rewards could be things like, one free day, a dinner out, a new pair of jeans or anything else you know would give you a boost to keep working towards your goal.
Actionable Steps and Completion Date(s)/Time
This portion of your planning needs to be detailed in order for you to see the most success. I am giving a couple examples below to show you just what I mean-
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Once you have completed your planning worksheets, you are almost ready to get started! Print out the progress chart provided and fill it out so you will be ready to begin on your chosen start date.
Click Here for Instructions on Filling Out Goal Progress Chart
I have intentionally left the Goal Progress Chart a very simple form with 25 segments and check boxes for completion. This is for maximum flexibility for tracking both habit-forming goals and project goals.
-Fill in the ‘GOAL’ space so you have a clear statement of the goal you are working towards.
-In each box, include the day or date and goal or step to be completed. Fill out the sheet as much as possible for the coming days or month. See below for examples.
Project-Oriented Goal:
Habit-Forming Goal:
Action Items & Resources-
Today you will spend your time getting down to the details of your goal planning. I’ve provided worksheets for both habit-forming goals and project-oriented goals. Download, print and fill them out using the detailed instructions in the course material.
Also included today is the Progress Chart for you to download in preparation for beginning your goal tomorrow!
Goal Planning Worksheets
Goal Progress Chart Download
Did you send me your mailing address to receive your Bonus Magnetic Dry-Erase Progress Chart? If you haven’t yet, visit the Introduction Page to do so.
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