5 Goal Setting Tips To Achieve Your Best Year Ever

There’s something so magical about winter to me. It’s truly a season of transition, celebrating and reflecting on the past year and looking ahead in anticipation to the one ahead. I love spending those bone-chillingly cold months dreaming up endless possibilities and planning out my goals for the upcoming year. While I always try my best, I’ve definitely fallen short of reaching my goals plenty of times over the years. Through all of the successes and failures I’ve experienced while chasing my goals over the past decade, I’ve learned some tricks that keep me on track and actually achieving my goals. So, from me to you, here’s five goal setting tips that will help you to achieve your best year ever!

Don’t Take On Too Much

Okay, I’m putting this one first because if you’re anything like myself, then you definitely have the tendency of spreading yourself too thin. Oftentimes when I’m goal planning, I overestimate what I’m actually capable of in a short period of time. Whenever you have too much on your plate at once it’s hard to make much progress because your focus is being pulled in multiple directions. Then, I always feel guilty because I’m unable to accomplish what I set out to get done.

So, if you’re goal setting for the year, I’d highly recommend setting NO MORE than three to five big goals for yourself. These goals can all be in the same area, but better yet if they’re spread out across multiple areas of life (i.e. career, relationships, wellness, etc.). You can (and should!) break down these goals into smaller “mini” goals. These can be quarterly, monthly, weekly, and even daily tasks you want to accomplish to keep you on track with your goal.

Create An In-Depth Plan

Having goals is great! But making progress simply for progress sake isn’t very effective. You want your goals to work for you, not the other way around. If you don’t have a clear plan of where you want to go, you’ll be aimlessly wandering through the next year of your life. So, make sure you create an in-depth plan for yourself!

Schedule some time in your calendar – it can be an evening after work or some time on the weekend. Make it an enjoyable experience by lighting candles, putting on some chill lo-fi, and making a cup of tea! Then, sit down and envision your dream self and life. What steps can you take in this next year to get you closer to that vision? Set some realistic goals for yourself that will get you there! Try to spread your goals over all areas of your life: personal growth, relationships, career, finances, adventure/play, and health. We’re trying to become well-rounded individuals here, after all!

Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals

One of the most important goal setting tips to keep in mind is that not all goals are created equal. You want to set S.M.A.R.T. goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

I go into depth on how to set S.M.A.R.T. goals in this article. 

Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals ensures that what you’re working towards is aligned with what you actually want to achieve. It’s a great checklist for making sure your goals are appropriate and thereby maximizing efficiency.

Systems > Goals

Let’s be real here, though. You can have the biggest, brightest goals in the whole world. You can have the best intentions and motivation in the moment. But, motivation is fleeting. Of course you’ll feel motivated when you’re writing these goals, before you’ve put an ounce of work in. But be assured, it will get hard. There will be days that you are tempted to give up and quit. The thing that separates those who are successful at reaching their goals from those who aren’t is that the successful people have good systems set in place.

Systems are the foundation of goal setting. They are the habits and routines that you follow. They enable you to stay focused and make progress towards your goals. You might have a goal of losing weight. However, if you don’t have the system of a consistent diet and exercise routine everyday, then your goal is going to be exponentially harder.

James Clear does an amazing job of explaining this concept in his best-selling book, Atomic Habits. James summarizes this idea in his blog post where he states “…I’ve found that goals are good for planning your progress and systems are good for actually making progress. Goals can provide direction and even push you forward in the short-term, but eventually a well-designed system will always win.”

Systems set you up for success in achieving your goals. Analyze who your dream self is and then think about what systems the ideal version of yourself uses. Implement those “ideal” systems into your life now! Having good systems in place will build the discipline needed to keep you motivated on the hard days.

Have A Reward System

Make sure that you have a reward system in place for when you accomplish your goals! What’s the point of working toward something if you’re not enjoying the journey? Make the process fun and enjoyable and I guarantee you’ll be more motivated to put in the work!

I like to have a big reward planned for myself once I reach my big goal, like a spa day or weekend getaway. Then, I come up with a smaller rewards “menu” for when I reach my mini goals. These smaller rewards for me are things like: treating myself to dinner at my favorite restaurant, setting aside half a day to binge watch a comfort show with my favorite snacks, or having a day of self-indulging in a hobby I enjoy.

Life isn’t all about work and hustling. My mental health is more important to me than any goal or sense of “achievement” and yours should be, too! So, make sure you are pouring back into yourself as you work towards your goals. Find creative ways to make it an enjoyable experience. You deserve it!

Conclusion

These five goal setting tips have truly changed the way I plan my yearly and quarterly goals. I sincerely hope that you find them helpful as well! Let me know in the comments how your goal planning goes, and cheers to a New Year and all the possibilities that come along with it!

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