Can you believe that we already made it to November?
This has been a trying year for everyone, and though its seems to be moving fast, it sure isn’t moving fast enough!
Despite this years trials and tribulations its good to see people hang on to a glimmer of hope each month by posting “new month, new goals” content across social media sites. I’m analytical by nature so I can’t help but wonder how many people are actually in alignment with those posts.
You get inspired by the whole “new month, new beginnings, new goals” notion every month but do you actively set out to achieve your goals on a monthly basis?
If you feel like this year just won’t let you be great or if you need a little guidance on setting achievable goals here are three tips to help you start of your month!
1. First an foremost, you need to focus on achieving one goal for the month.
Your goal doesn’t have to be major. Pick something specific that helps put you one step close to your bigger picture ( which is your ideal outcome or result). You can start with something simple like losing 5 pounds for the month instead of just saying that you want to lose weight. Another example would be to set a goal to reduce your sugar intake by cutting out one item at a time, like soda, instead of setting a goal to change your entire diet in one month. Goals are much easier to achieve when you take the time to form a habit out of your changes instead of just piling them on before you’re fully adjusted.
2. Break down your goal into mini goals that you need to accomplish each week in order to bring your goal to fruition then choose 1 to focus on for the month.
For example, If you’re trying to lose 5 pounds for the month then think of the changes that you would need to make in order to achieve your goal. Things like creating an exercise schedule, monitoring your eating habits, or reducing your portions. Again, I recommend only choosing one of your options to highlight for the month even if you plan to engage in all of them. Lets use losing 5 ponds as an example. Though it requires multiple components, you would only choose 1 as your mini goal to highlight for the month. So even if you plan to create a meal plan, exercise, and eliminate sugar completely, you would make it your mission to focus more on creating your meal plan for this month. Habits develop out of consistency and repetitiveness. Focusing on meal prep allows you the chance to make it a habit instead making it something that you do on a touch and go basis.
3. Break down each of your steps into daily tasks that you need to complete during each week.
During week 1 you can monitor your eating habits for 2 or 3 days in order to gain a better understanding of your calories consumption, and document the changes that you need to make. On day 4 you can create a new meal plan and then focus on executing this plan for the remainder of the month by setting aside specific days to shop, prep, cook those meals, and have weigh in days.
As you can see, you can plan and achieve your goals without feeling overwhelmed. If you sit down and put careful thought into what it takes to get to your desired result(s) then you can alleviate a lot of that pressure.
One common excuse that I hear from many of my clients is that they don’t have time to work on their goals either because of their work schedule, family obligations, or both. After I sat down with each one of them and mapped things out they realized that things were simpler than they had perceived.
We waste so much time on things that aren’t productive without even realizing it. How many times have you planned to hop onto Facebook or Instagram for 5 or 10 minutes only to spend 2 unplanned on hours online? That is how most of us pursue our goals. We have somewhat of a plan but are easily sidetracked. If this sounds like you, don’t fret.
It’s the end of the year, but its the start if a new month! Anytime is a good time to start fresh. The good thing about new beginnings is that they never come with an expiration date! So grab a pen an paper and start planning! Your time is now!
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My name is Lulu and I am the founder of The Career Conqueror. My goal is to help you prevent burnout by teaching you how to navigate and prevent work related stress.
The holidays are here and seasonal employment is in full affect. It’s also been a rough year that’s forcing people to shift gears and find new employment.
I’m launching a new course this month to help alleviate some that job searching stress. In this course I teach you how to ace your virtual job interviews. Click below to pre register for this course now!
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