Be a Better You in 7 Days
Have you given up on your New Year’s resolutions? Have you plateaued on your self-improvement? Looking to get motivated and started on some new goals?
Keep things simple, set easy goals, and work with a friend. Work on a single week of goals at a time.
Here are 6 steps I take to achieve get better every week.
Know Your Values
Connecting a goal to its driver is essential.If the “why” behind your goal is unclear, it will be difficult to push forward when things get difficult.Your values are the foundation for your goals, so make sure you have a clear vision. I’ve found Quinn Eurich’s answer to this Quora post on fulfillment and motivation to be a great guide. Create specific value statements for all the different areas of your life (work, relationships, family, etc.), and use those to build missions and goals.
Set Goals
They should be specific, measurable, achievable, and time-bound. Keep the goals simple and easy enough to achieve by the end of the week. These goals are usually some sort of a new habit or a one-time activity that needs to be crossed off your to-do list. Some goals may stay on the list for several weeks to keep a positive momentum. Set time aside in your calendar and set the bar low-enough that you can walk over it. Some examples I’ve had in the past:
“Go to the gym on Tuesday for a minimum of 15 minutes”
“Post 20 pictures from my trip to Myanmar to Facebook on Wednesday”
“Draft an article for LinkedIn Thursday night”
Keep it Simple
Set a small number of easily achievable goals. Don’t set more than 3 goals a week; 1 work goal, 1 personal goal, and 1 goal in any other area. If something else comes up you want to work on, add it to a list of goals you can draw from for future weeks. This helps make sure you are acknowledging your desires for improvement, without losing focus on what you’re working on for the week. I find I start to feel overwhelmed with more than 3 goals at a time. The key is to build positive momentum.
Review and Adjust
Take 10 minutes once a week to review your goals and identify successes. If you weren’t able to accomplish something ask yourself why. Was it too difficult? Would it take more time then you have available? Is there something that needs to be adjusted in order to make to goal achievable? Is the goal aligned with your values? You may need to adjust the goal, or simply try again.
Celebrate Success
Recognize what went well. Reward yourself in a meaningful way. There may be things that went well that weren’t on your list of goals, celebrate those too! I’ve found there are weeks that none of my “official” goals are achieved, but I’ve had huge successes in places I didn’t plan to focus. These successes need to be celebrated. Sharing successes with someone is a great way to celebrate.
Work With a Trusted Friend
Schedule a time with a friend you trust once a week to review and set goals. Make this a regular reoccurring meeting that you can’t miss. If your friend is unavailable, you can always send a quick text to review what went well and what needs improvement. Your friend will keep you accountable to setting simple, specific goals and achieving them. Our desires are quite vague when we think about them, but talking about goals and plans makes them clear and more focused. Try writing them down in a place you can see every day. I have a small whiteboard in my room I can’t avoid seeing when I wake up. Try putting it on a sticky note on the mirror in the bathroom.