3 Tips to Meet Your Goals for 2020
2020 is here and has been here for one month, and time continues to move forward. Did you make any big or small goals for this new year? Have you been able to stay motivated and on-track with your goals? It’s easy to get distracted, slack off, and even easier to give-up. However, with our help, you can set yourself up to meet your goals for 2020.
For starters, WRITE IT DOWN. Research has found that setting goals is linked with self-confidence, motivation, and autonomy, and has even showed when people wrote down their goals, they were 33 percent more successful in achieving those goals compared to those who only formulated goals in their head!
It’s okay to focus on a year-end goal. It’s ok to focus on a 6-month goal. Pick something that maybe makes you a little uncomfortable. Your goal can be big and lofty, and it can be somewhat vague and broad. However, the steps used to reach your goals are going to force you to 1. Break big goals down into small and achievable goals, 2. Focus on effort-oriented goals vs. outcome-oriented goals and 3. Create some accountability. Now let’s break these ideas down a little further…
3 tips to meet your goals for 2020:
Small and achievable goals for the win:
To set yourself up for success, aim to create small, achievable goals (you may still have a more broad, or lofty goal) which you will focus on one day at a time, and one week at a time. You don’t climb Everest overnight, and you certainly don’t run a marathon 3 weeks after a cesarean section. So, let’s consider what it takes to achieve this big goal, and aim to break it down into smaller, monthly goals. Then let’s take those smaller monthly goals, and break those down further into weekly goals. Finally, you guessed it, daily goals. It sounds like a lot of work, but if you want to reach your big and lofty goal, it takes DAILY choices. (Think, this month “I’m going to exercise 20/29 days in February”, or this week “I’m going to walk 5 out of 7 days this week” or “I’m going to get 10,000 steps today.”)
Effort-oriented goals versus outcome-oriented goals:
Shift from an outcome-oriented goal, to an effort-oriented goal. Taking the focus from an outcome-oriented goal (think, “run a marathon”), to an effort-oriented goal (think, “run 20/29 days in February), allows you to focus on the process versus the outcome. What if you sprained your ankle one week before the marathon? You no longer can run in the marathon, and if that was your goals focus, then we are left in a situation we prepared for and cannot physically achieve because it would be unwise for our health. Instead of then feeling let down that you didn’t meet your goal` of running a marathon, you can focus on the fact that you ran 20/29 days this month! Focusing on the process also allows us to create steady habits. By aiming for consistent behaviors we can enjoy the success of meeting a goal every single day.
Accountability:
Keep track, write it down, share it with someone. Heck, blow up social media about your new goal. When we are accountable to someone or some group, we tend to make decisions which support our goals.
Example:
Goal- “Exercise more in 2020”
Monthly goal: What does “exercise more” look like Over the course of 30 days, lets say you want to aim to exercise at least 20/29 day in Feb (yep, it’s a leap year!). This goal is small and achievable, it’s effort-oriented, and now you just need to be accountable to someone.
Weekly goal: I’m going to walk 5 days this week for 20 minutes. This goal is also small and achievable, as well as effort-oriented. Now tell someone about your activity!
Daily goal: I’m going to walk 10,000 steps today. Now take a pretty picture on your walk and send it to your bf bragging about your #goals2020
Go get after it! Let us know what you think about 3 tips to meet your goals for 2020. How did it work for you? Have questions? Reach out.
Lindsay Mercier, PT, DPT, OCS
“Let’s not view the changes we make to meet our goals as sacrifices, rather as a choice we make every day to better ourselves”- Tactic owners, Meredith Root and Alex Parker
Tags: goals for 2020
