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Goal Setting in 3 Steps
Tess Barringer • November 14, 2024
Goals, like people, come in all shapes and sizes. While bigger themes are a good starting point, it’s not a one size fits all situation and we need to figure out what steps we want to take to get to our bigger picture goals.
For the sake of structure, we’re going to run through this from the biggest piece to the smallest. I realize that it can be a challenge to think so broadly, but what I want you to take away from this is that goal setting, at its core, is just NAMING what it is you want to achieve (no matter how big or small) and then making a plan to get there. Okay? Let’s get started!
Step 1: What even are goals?
I’m sure we’ve all heard that pinterest worthy quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry — 'A goal without a plan is just a wish.' And it’s true. No matter what you want to set as your goal, if you don’t have a plan for it, you’re just ‘wishful thinking.’ While I believe in the power of manifestation, we do need to work towards making those dreams come true!
Now about those sizes - Let’s break them into long term, short term, and micro goals so we can organize our thoughts a bit.
Long term goals are our goals that are 8(ish)+ months out from the moment you start working on them - they could even be life-long depending on what you choose. In order to get there though, we set our short term goals. Those goals are where we get into the nitty gritty of how you will get there! Short term goals have a time frame too - they can be day-to-day, or up to that 8(ish) month mark. It’s better to work in no more than a 90 day format for a short term goal though. Stacking them up, we’ll reach our long term goals. Keep in mind, some things call for extended or shortened periods. Beyond that, we have Micro goals. Those are daily, weekly, or month-specific goals that will help you form habits and achieve those short term goals. They can be very, very small - but they need to be aligned with our short term and long term goals.
Step 2: How do we set them?
It’s pretty simple actually! Name what you want to do, then follow this checklist to make sure they are “SMART.”
S - Specific
- You need to set some parameters based on the next few letters
Ex. “I want to run more.”
M - Measurable
- It needs to be quantitative in some way
Ex. “I want to run a marathon.”
A - Attainable
- it’s something that is possible for you to achieve (in other words, realistic).
Ex. “I want to run a marathon after I run a half marathon.’
R - Relevant
- It’s something that focuses you to your larger end goal, and helps you better live your life the way you picture it to be.
Ex. “I want to run a marathon after I run a half marathon because to me that aligns with my larger goal to be my fittest self at 40.”
T
-
Time bound -
put a date on it so you can keep yourself accountable and make adjustments as necessary.
Ex. “I’ve signed up for a half marathon a year from now, and am narrowing down full marathons to pick one for after my half marathon - the goal is to run a full marathon within 2 years of my half.”
Step 3: NAME THOSE GOALS!
First, an inspirational quote to set the mood:
“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” - Pablo Picasso
Alright, now we’re ready:
- Take a second and write down your goals - try to name three for your physical wellness, mental wellness, and nutritional wellness!
- Got it? GREAT. Now put time frames beside them. How long will it take to get there realistically? Do they fall into long term, short term, or micro goals?
- Set the long term ones + short term ones aside if you have some that are micro. What's our “why” behind doing those? What do we hope to accomplish by, say, washing your face every day? Clearer skin? A solid nighttime routine? Name it, this is important for remembering your why when motivation goes down.
- Now, let’s look at the long term goals - what are some building blocks we could stack to get there? Remember, 90 day blocks of short term goals!
- We want to wash our face everyday, and we’re giving ourselves a year to get there - for the first three months, we’re going to focus on washing our face Fri-Sun, then for the second three months we’ll shoot for Thurs-Mon, then 6 days of the week, and then for our last three we’ll aim for all 7 days every single week.
- Let’s set some micro goals for our short term goals. These are VERY small things that we can progress and learn from day to day and week to week to help us nail our short term goals.
- Maybe we set an alarm to go off to remind us to wash our face? Or start with half your routine and work up to your full skincare routine? Lay out our clothes the night before for the gym? Prep you overnight oats?
Lastly, you will “fail.” But failing and quitting are two separate things.
We can adjust and learn if we keep trying. We can never reach our goals if we quit. Failing means we tried - we pushed ourselves and we found our limits. Never failing means we never left our comfort zone - and likely, haven’t done enough to truly create change. If you’re reading this, I think you’re in the business of trying, so get excited about failing.
Pro Tips:
If you’re having trouble finding the time, write down your “ideal day” from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed. Is there something that you can change? A place where we find time is being wasted? We may find more micro-goals to work on to help us create time! Just because our big goal is fitness related, having a better wake up and sleep routine could be the key to making the original goal possible. Please do not go take a “a day in my life” TikTok from some influencer to try to emulate! This needs to be realistic to you.
Be flexible with your goals. Life is beautiful, messy, and often nothing we can really plan for. Having grace for challenging seasons and flexibility with your goals are important to make sure you are HAPPY while you’re working towards them. Even though planning for the future is so important, so is thriving in your life RIGHT NOW. You are more than the goals you set, and achieving them doesn’t decide your worth. Achieving them is nice, but never feel guilty for enjoying your life.
If you’re “failing” a lot or massively unmotivated, ask yourself if you still actually want it. It’s OKAY to change your mind. That’s not quitting - that’s self-growth and awareness. Replace it with something more meaningful, and keep going!
As always, I'm here if you need me!
- Tess
Forbes, Well+Good, and Self Magazine
