15 Ways To Set Goals and Motivate Yourself To Complete Them
Motivation, as we all know, comes and goes and sometimes it’s hard to keep it going when we need it the most. It is the key in how we ultimately achieve anything we work towards. It can be difficult if things get in the way of our goals and it feels nearly impossible to achieve what we want and when we want it. However, sometimes it can depend on how you go about setting your goals to achieve them, which is why we have fifteen ways to set goals and motivate yourself to stick to them!
1. Write down your plans
When it comes to the best ways to set goals, this one works well. It might seem like it’s effort, but trust us, this is such an effective way to keep track and focus on what you want to achieve and when. Jot down on a word document or a diary what you want from the next few months and make it your focus and you can keep your own checklist, which will motivate you to keep improving the things you need to, to get what you want!
2. Don’t do it all at once
Once we get around to writing down our aims, we can become overly excited by the end result even though it is a long distance away. Rushing things is bound to stress you out and you can burn out quickly making you demotivated. You can become tired and you’ll start to think that you’ll never be able to accomplish what you want. It’s best to split everything up into small tasks as it is more effective than trying to do loads at once.
3. Establish the start
A key step in achieving your goals is deciding when to start and by doing this you can feel fully prepared and make the most out of what you want to do. It’s easy to keep saying ‘I’ll start tomorrow’ every day without doing anything that will help you succeed. Once you plan the day you can start, it will be easier to keep track of progress! That’s what Monday’s are for, right?
4. I Can’t Vs I Don’t Want To
There’s probably going to be obstacles along the way in achieving the goals that might set you back, so it takes a little longer to achieve what you want to. This can reinforce the ‘I can’t’ attitude and it’s important to recognise that there is a significant difference in ‘I can’t’ and ‘I don’t want to’. The truth is, you can! You might not think you can, but believe me your motivation will come back, but you must put the effort in. Don’t let a setback make you give up, you can do it!
5. Checkpoints
It’s crucial that you don’t overload yourself and it’s great to establish a halfway point between starting and when you think you can achieve your goals. To limit stress and keep your motivation levels high, it’s probably best to take a small breather to refresh and reflect on how much you’ve achieved and celebrate your success!
6. Remind yourself why you’re doing this
If things are becoming difficult and things have derailed slightly, it can bring motivation right down and you might feel sad that you aren’t as close to your goal as you thought you could be. Don’t worry though, all you’ve got to do is keep reminding yourself why you’re doing this and keep pushing forward. It’s not impossible! Have a small break then get back to the grind and keep thinking about your end goal!
7. Don’t set more goals than you can reach
Another crucial factor in this complete process is to not set yourself too high because this can make it difficult and stressful and we can guarantee that you won’t want that in the grand scheme of things. Only set yourself goals you know you can achieve in the time you’ve set and if you have more then you could make it your next major goal to aim for. But for now, focus on the one that’s most important to maintain balance.
8. Switch things up
Repeated cycles can soon become everybody’s nightmare. Sometimes we feel like we are going around in circles with nothing changing. That’s why it’s good to switch things up and do things that you wouldn’t normally do. You never know, it might work out better for you in the long run, as it is one of the best ways to set goals!
9. Don’t see it as a chore
When it comes to ways to set goals, depending on what you want to achieve, you may have a lot of challenging work ahead of you and that sometimes can put our spirits down and inevitably demotivate us. An important thing is to not see your objectives as chores and to do this you could make reaching those goals more fun, by switching things up now and then whether it is in your work life, in the gym or even love life. Things can become mundane if you stick to a repeated cycle and it may even become an ineffective way of reaching your goals.
10. Try not to procrastinate
It’s great to come away from our aims and take the time out to relax, however, don’t let relaxation turn into procrastination. You might get into the habit of not taking the right amount of time out for your goals and therefore you might give up on your goals completely. If you do this then you’ll probably have to start all over again when you’ve come this far. Find a routine and stick to it with a balance of work and relaxation.
11. Don’t let bad days get on top
As much as we all try to avoid it, we all have bad days! Sometimes we even have bad weeks, but don’t worry because it’s a blip. On bad days we can become locked onto the negative energy that drains away the motivation we have and inevitably will want to make you give up. It’s best on doing something you enjoy and be patient because better days are ahead and you’re sure to build your confidence again to achieve what you want.
12. Be selfish
Don’t worry about what everybody else thinks because at the end of the day it is your life. If people try to put you off from having the things you want in life, then you’re sure to become unhappy. Your happiness should be at the top of the list on your journey to achieving what you’re aiming for, so it’s ok to be a little selfish now and then! This will definitely help you in your best ways to set goals.
13. Confidence
It can sometimes be difficult and a challenging thing to find the confidence and regain it after having a setback in achieving your goals, but don’t worry! All you have to do with this is to think about the confidence that there is to gain when you’ve finally got what you want and how much happier you will be once you’ve achieved the end goal of your hard work!
14. Reward yourself
Rewarding yourself after each completed objective is an effective way to keep yourself motivated and optimistic. It makes the process enjoyable and makes your hard work much more worth it if you recognise your achievements! By the end of the process, you’ll feel much happier when reflecting on how far you’ve come! This is one of the best ways to set goals!
15. Decide if you’re happy
By the end goal, you should always decide if it was worth it and whether you are happy. If you have found that the ways in which you have gone about in achieving your goals were successful, then it will be much easier to follow that method in future for any projects or aims you set for yourself. What’s most important to remember though is your own happiness and whether the process was worth it in the end!
We hope these fifteen ways to set goals will help you feel motivated! We’d love to know what your upcoming goals are and what you’re aiming to achieve! Tell us in the comments!
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