Acheiving Your Goals

I'd like to introduce to you Cassie from A Time For Everything, a lifestyle blog all about using your time so that you can achieve a well balanced life... and she went to my alma mater!

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Remember January 1 when you made all those goals and resolutions? How's that going? Have you hit a slump? Did you "fall off the wagon" already? I feel like everyone makes resolutions for the year, but if they slip up or don't achieve it by the end of January they act like they've failed. Guess what? You have 11 more months, and in 11 months you can accomplish a lot. Just look at what they do on Biggest Loser in 6 months! Here are some tips to accomplish those goals: 

Prioritize: Take your list of resolutions and rank them. What are the top 10 things you really want to do? Or maybe some have to be done sooner than later, like getting a summer internship. This should automatically make it a higher priority. Try to make this list well-rounded to all parts of life, at least 1 of each: a personal goal, health goal, work goal, financial goal, and spiritual goal, and an experiential goal.

Be Realistic: I've had a goal for years to watch the AFI Top 100 Films and it has stayed simply that, a goal on a list. Because really, I'm never going to watch all those movies in 1 year, so I never even try and start in the first place. Instead, this year I'm picking 12 movies on the list and watching 1 a month. So I won't get them all done this year, but I'll be 12 closer and in a few years it'll be complete! Deciding on paring down goals like this is great for bucket list items and those 101 in 1001 lists people keep as well.

Set Dates: Get out your planner (yes, I'm old school and still physically write things down) or pull up iCal or whatever online system you use and start putting dates to the goals. Remember-use the whole year, not just next month. Start with the priority goals. Let's use the internship example again, you can set a date for finishing your resume and then how many internships you want to apply for each month. Or say you there is somewhere you've always wanted to go, like Catalina Island or even just a restaurant you want to try. Put that activity down in a certain month and also put a reminder a month before to send an email to invite others to come with you. In the notes section of each month you can write what goals you want to accomplish that month, like I'm writing the title of the movie I'm watching that month.
As for those bigger goals, like lose 20+ pounds or organize the whole house, break them down month by month to make them attainable. For example, lose 4 pounds a month (you're done for swimsuits in June!). Or assign a room to each month and you'll be done with the house by next year! Remember, you have the whole year.
A big reason why its good to write these in your planner is so you see them. Part of the problem with resolutions is we write them down in journals or just think them in our head, but visually seeing them over and over will keep you motivated and focused. So lastly....

Put It Where You'll See It: Write the list on a notecard and put it on your bathroom mirror. Make it your screensaver. I took a pic of my list and put it on Evernote (oh how I love Evernote!), so I can check into it at anytime. This visual is especially good for those resolutions that are to be done daily (make bed) or intangible (pray more, or be a better listener). Seeing it day after day helps you make it part of your routine and reminds you to change your behavior.
There are the 4 steps to help you achieve your resolutions for this year! Hope that you accomplish all you want this year. And I'd love to hear what your goals are and what plan you've set to achieve them!