5 lessons for goal setting I’m taking on board for 2022
So as 2021 comes to a close as another year older and over (as John Lennon would say in his classic War is Over song), now is the time to reflect on the progress of goals, what’s been achieved this year and ambitions for 2022. However, I have found at times that I have gone off course for reaching my goals or have given them up due to poor planning. Whilst trialing some goal setting frameworks out there to use for my 2021 goals (yes I’m referring to you in particular SMART!), I’ve found the to be ineffective and have had to review and break down how I wanted to better goal setting for 2022. Therefore I’ve written this reflective piece as a way of creating better goal setting and have five things I want to use for this:
1) Focusing on daily actions rather than focusing on the outputs of the goals
I think the biggest mistake I have found with goal setting this year has been being too forward focus in the future and being disappointed when my expectation of what it felt like when completing it versus what actually happened. Instead I’m taking on board the mantra of “Living for the moment” and wanting to focus on the now and being present on a day to day basis. I want to feel like the goals I want to achieve for 2022 are present in my everyday life and want this to be a bigger reason to wake up and take the actions towards becoming a better version of myself.
2) Make sure each goal interlinks within a wider goal.
I’ve found when setting goals for the new year, I’m often planning multiple goals that are in a completely different direction to others I’ve set. Not only can this be exhausting, it can be harmful on motivation for completing each goal set as I’ve felt like I’m being pulled in several juxtaposing directions. Instead, this year I’ve created an overriding theme of which each goal sits in. For 2022, it is all about community: whether that’s referring to my work, love or personal life, there is one focus that am building upon and brings a reason why I’m looking to achieve those goals.
3) Make sure the goal is enjoyable
Many goals make it seem like you should be punished, like forcing you to eat only a carrot or two a day for losing 4 stone in 3 months. This is something I have in the past used as a tool to work towards my goals. However, although goals should be challenging, they shouldn’t be extreme and shouldn’t affect your mental health when trying to complete them. Instead focus on smaller tweaks that push incremental changes for these goals. For example, when I recently lost four stone, I only made a small tweak to my lifestyle (such as recording what I each and making sure I exercised for 30 minutes a day), still preparing and enjoying the food I ate.
4) Only take one action towards the goal per day
There is an image in the media that when setting goals, you need to take a large action per day towards your goals or clogging up your day with multiple actions towards it with no rest or times for enjoyment. This can lead to burnout and disappointment, with either one or none of the goals trying be accomplished not being done. Instead, I’m going focus on one action per day that takes no longer than one hour. This not only time caps how long I can spend on a goal, but it also reduces the cognitive load of how much I’m expected to achieve per day.
5) Break down the goals into smaller chunks
Goals can sometimes seem too overwhelming and too generalised (such as making new friends or wanting to be in a relationship). This can be very which can lead to increase in procrastination, of which I have faced frequently this year. Instead I’ve decided to create some sub-goals that can provide smaller actions towards the bigger goals. For example:
Making a friendship group: Instead of focusing on every opportunity that focuses solely on making friends, attend groups that align to my interests and growth areas (such as UX and social entrepreneurship).
Dating life: instead of focusing more on Dating Sites or Speed Dating, look at making more friends with men and enjoying their company.
Building a business: Instead of focusing on building the next big idea, make connections with other like minded entrepreneurs and increase personal brand through regularly blog posts and conference talks.
Taking on board these five new things I want to for my goals on 2022, hopefully I will improve how I take actions and achieve my goals better than I did in 2021. One thing I will take from all these actions is to slow down and break down what I want to achieve into smaller, achievable goals.
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