How to Set Goals You Can Keep

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Inspired by all the goal setting around you, yet afraid to fail? Life as Mom contributor Prerna shows you how to set goals you can keep!

How to Set Goals You Can Keep | Life as Mom - Inspired by all the goal setting around you, yet afraid to fail? Make goals you can keep!

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This post is written by Prerna Malik.

January is the month when we all get super excited about goal setting. It’s natural.

It is the first month of the year and the year stretches ahead of us, fresh and new, waiting to be filled up and we plan excitedly to finally shed those 10 pounds, declutter the mud room, sleep earlier, eat healthier, meet more friends, travel more, stress less.

Yes, the list is endless and everything seems possible. Till… life gets real.

The year may be new. But your life is still the same. You still have a family to love and take care of. You still need to cook dinner, every.single. day. You still have that laundry pile looking at you with doleful eyes {Yours doesn’t? Mine totally does;)}

You still need to do school runs, drop offs, classroom volunteer work or homeschool. You still have chores to do and errands to run.

Yes, when life gets real, goals fall by the wayside. Because you don’t have time to pack in one more thing to do, right? Actually no. That’s right. Even if you’re busy, overwhelmed, and already have a packed schedule, you can set goals and you can make them happen.

I know because I’ve been there. I run two businesses and raise a family. I’ve been overwhelmed way more than I’d care to count! BUT I’ve realized that there’s a way and a system to get things done and big they may seem.

Here’s how.How to Set Goals You Can Keep | Life as Mom

How to Set Goals You Can Keep

1. Put it down on paper

The first thing I’d recommend is putting your goals down on paper. That’s right; write it out. Grab one of these FREE printable goal setting worksheets and use it to chalk out your goals for every month:

Putting it on paper kinda solidifies it and takes it from “inside your head” to out there. You can focus on it and it helps you make choices and decisions that move you towards that goal instead of away from it altogether.

2. Break it into baby steps

Once you have your goals down, break them into baby steps.

Say, your goal is to exercise more this year. First step is to specify what “more” looks like to you. Is it 15 minutes because you’ve never exercised before? Is it 60 minutes because you’ve been working out for 30 minutes so far?

How to Set Goals You Can Keep | Life as Mom

Let’s say your goal is to exercise for 60 minutes, 3 days a week. Once you’ve gotten that down. Break it down into baby steps. So, January week 1 and 2, you’ll focus on working out for 40 minutes so your body gets used to it. Week 3 and 4, you’ll move to 50 minutes and in February, you’ll do 60 minutes.

You’ll stay motivated by rewarding yourself with say, new workout clothes in February and stay accountable by checking in with a friend or coworker.

Having all these small baby steps down will ensure that you stick to your goal and meet it.

3. Look at your life and needs

When setting goals, don’t just go for what all the cool kids are doing. They don’t have your life and needs, right? Set goals based on what your life needs more of. It could be something as simple as menu planning every week so that you eat healthier, order less takeout and save more money.

Review your life’s season and set goals accordingly.

4. Revisit regularly

One of the reasons why writing your goals down on paper is so important, is because you can revisit them regularly and not only check them off as you accomplish them but also, tweak them because of an unforeseen change in your lifestyle.

So, yes, busy mama, set those goals, write them down, and revisit them regularly. I have a date with myself on the 31st of each month or sometimes, the 1st of the new month to review my goals and check them off or change them.

How do YOU set goals you can keep?

What do you struggle with the most? Share with me in the comments.

Prerna smallGourmet content chef, author of the Content Cookbook and community manager for time-starved entrepreneurs and bloggers, Prerna Malik, along with her husband Mayank, infuses online communities with sugar, spice and everything nice… for a small business.

Grab her FREE social media and copywriting goodies here!

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