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Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Keep your goals close


I recently made this goal poster and stuck it right to the side of my computer (a couple weeks ago now I guess, as you can see I have changed the look of my blog again ๐Ÿ˜)

Goals themselves are very important--you need something to work toward, a way to measure your progress, and hopefully inspire forward momentum.

But over the last few months, I have been trying to figure out why I always seem to circle in the not-quite-productive-as-I-could-be patterns over and over again, and it occurred to me that, though it is good to have goals and better to write them down, when too much gets in the way--family, work, health, life in general--it is easy to lose track.  Not necessarily forget, but sort of shuffle the ideas and even notebooks to the side, piled under the bills and report cards, newspapers, and grocery lists.  Know what I mean?

And that brought me to the realization that goals need to be VISIBLE, somewhere they can be seen EVERY day.

So, one of the big "ah ha" moments came when I remembered seeing this type of sheet on an Instagram feed sometime last year. (If you know where it originated or are the originator, just let me know and I will happily shout out credits and links!)  I liked the sticky-note idea so as each goal is accomplished, new ones can be added, to keep progressing and growing.  And this time, I set it front and centre.

I am at my computer more often than not six out of seven days a week as I edit at night after the day job.  Having the goal poster right in front reminds me of what I am working toward, reminds me not to overwork one area (usually editing) but instead stop and give my own goals twenty to thirty minutes a night, too.  It is not about spending gobs of hours on your goals, but simply doing something toward them every day--writing for twenty minutes while the chicken is in the oven for dinner, or for the last twenty-minutes before I shut my computer off for the night.  Getting up halfway through editing to take a walk in the lovely evening rather than "powering through" and not leaving the seat for three hours straight--my knees are NOT happy when I do that!  The goal sheet is a great reminder to put on a timer so I don't get lost in the work or in my own head, which are two of my worst habits where self-care is concerned.

And don't think you have to have something like the picture above, that's just the need of the artist part of me.  Even a simple sticky note with your goal(s) in big letters and tacked to your computer will benefit you, remind you physically of what you are working toward, and get you there sooner rather than later.

Practice makes progress, right?

Give it a try, and feel free to let me know how it works for you๐Ÿ˜‰


©bystacydawn
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๐Ÿ™‹Check out my links at the side to visit me on social media and at my website! ๐Ÿ’Ÿ



18 comments:

  1. Great idea!! I usually write my goals in my planner but they disappear as soon as I turn the page to a new week. Out of sight, out of mind. I'm going to give your method a try - though mine won't be nearly as pretty.

    A related strategy is something called a Kanban board, a more intense, step-by-step plan to achieve specific goals. Here's a link to a video that describes how one author uses it:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8wbLgmNJbQ


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    1. I had never heard of the Kanban board before...what a fantastic idea! I will definitely be looking into it further. Thank you so much for sharing!

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  2. What a good idea, Stacy. I'm going to create a small board today. Thank you for letting us know.

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  3. We feed ourselves food every day to keep our bodies going. It makes sense we need to feed our goals every day to keep our writing careers going!

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  4. I love the art idea, Stacy. For me, it's my to-do list, which probably isn't exactly the same, but close. I set workable goals each day--edit 3 chapters or write 1000 words. I put other things on my list as well--like phone calls or errands, and I just check off as I complete them. They're small, and I get satisfaction that I'm accomplishing them. Plus, I can reward myself when I'm done.

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    1. I do like that you can see each smaller goal get crossed off as finished. Great idea, too

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  5. I like the visual idea. I'm such a visual person. Good post.

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  6. This is a wonderful idea. I do keep a running list of my goals and it makes a huge difference. Finding a good life balance is so very important -- otherwise our goals start to feel like a burden.

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    1. Exactly...and if they start to feel like a burden, that's a quick downward slide of actually getting anything accomplished. Thanks, Julie!

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  7. What a great idea. i post my goals as well, but I don't have such an eye-catching poster. Maybe that would help me keep focussed on what i want to achieve. Thanks for sharing.

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