How to Set Goals for the End of the Year (and meet them)

Every time we return from summer vacation and the start of the school year approaches, a lot of projects and ideas come to mind. We are going to do this, we are going to do the other … And yet, many of those proposals or wishes remain by the wayside, just as it happens when we consider them to receive the New Year at Christmas.

So to try to help you achieve your goals, we review how to set goals for the end of the year and meet them. Take good note because with a few simple guidelines you will surely succeed.

Choose your goals

To achieve our objectives, we must first determine them. Do you propose to do a daily exercise routine to get in shape? Do you want to learn to speak a language?  Playing a musical instrument? Lose a couple of kilos?  Opening a small shop craft online?

Whatever is going through your mind you have to specify it, but in a specific way, because it is not possible to achieve anything in a limited period. It is essential to take into account both your availability and your limitations and needs.

Thus, the objectives must be well-defined and clear. It is not the same to say “I want to lose weight” as “I want to lose 3 kilos” or “I want to run” and “I want to be able to run 10 kilometers in three months.” And although this may seem trivial to you, we assure you that it is one of the differences between successes and failures when it comes to achieving our goals. Also, be very clear about your motivation. When you break down and want to drop everything, remembering it will help you move on.

SMART method

To make it easier for you to set goals, you can use the always helpful SMART method. SMART is the acronym for the 5 characteristics that any objective you set yourself must have: Specific ( specific ), Measurable ( measurable ), Attainable ( achievable ), Realistic ( realistic ), and Timely (limited time).

And it is that for an objective to be achieved, it has to meet those requirements. It must be concrete, able to measure and quantify it over time so that it will be possible for you to assess its progress, and be achievable and realistic depending on your possibilities and personal circumstances.

So forget about those general or generic projects that never come to anything and specify what you want to be able to achieve. Defining and deciding to achieve your goals are the two basic keys to reaching them. You must leave words behind and take action. After all, he who wants something, something costs him.

Set small goals

Once you have made up your mind, you should set small goals to motivate yourself and see how little by little you are getting closer to your final goal. It is the same as sports training in which we are checking how in a week we can make more effort or travel more distance than the previous one. Take this structure to any other task you have in hand and you will see how effective it is to be able to see how your perseverance is paying off.

Remember: small weekly or fortnightly goals with a final goal to be achieved in short periods of time, such as monthly, quarterly, or quarterly

Maximize time

We all have the same amount of time throughout the day: 24 hours. And yet, there are people for whom it seems that the hours are much longer, regardless of the work and family obligations of each one. We tell you this because, once you have decided on the goal and have enough will to try to achieve it, time will be your main obstacle.

Who has not used time as an excuse not to reach the end of a project, not to start it, or to succumb to laziness and give up before trying?

Maximize the time you have. Are you sure you don’t have 20 minutes? Have you stopped to calculate how much you lose looking at Facebook or WhatsApp throughout the day? Reserve those 20 minutes or an hour, depending on what you need to achieve your goals, several times a week, a month, or daily as possible or necessary, and adhere to the schedule except for force majeure.

Reward yourself

You will like this tip very much. When you reach those little goals, don’t hesitate, to reward yourself. You do not have to buy anything expensive or exceptional, but you do need to buy or make something that you feel like: buy a book, reserve a few hours to see that movie at the cinema, indulge yourself …

But keep in mind that the award must be awarded to you when you achieve any of the small objectives in pursuit of your final goal, it is not worth doing it every time you undertake one of the tasks, because then the award would lose all its intention and meaning.

Think positive

Lastly, think positive and don’t become your own worst enemy. Often without realizing it, we sabotage ourselves with negative thoughts that we repeat endlessly. Forget about them. If you’ve set realistic goals for yourself, it doesn’t make sense to tell yourself that you can’t do it, of course, you can!

You may have a day when something unforeseen has slowed down your progress, but that is no excuse to stop. We all stumble and fall, the difference is getting up and moving on. Surely you will reach your goal and you will be willing to reach another.