4 Tips to Help You Stick to Your Goals

Abandoned goals – we’re all guilty of it. Whether it’s those new year resolutions that last for a few weeks to the day-to-day goals that you’ve mapped out for your life but can’t seem to follow through, sticking to one’s goals can be a lot more difficult than it sounds. In fact, according to a report by the University of Scranton, only 8% of people actually achieve the goals they set out to do. Get important things done using these four tips:

Have an End in Mind

The ability to follow through with your goals often depends on the road you took to form them. Not having an end in mind can make the goal more of a tiring chore rather than a milestone in your personal or professional life that’s worth working on. It’s difficult to draw inspiration from your goal if you don’t have a clear roadmap of where it currently is and where it’s going in the future.

The more specific your goal-setting process is, the easier it will be to progress from one step to the next. It can also help serve as a reminder as to why you are trying to accomplish the goal when your interest or energy starts to dwindle. An example of a goal with an end in mind is knowing how much weight you want to lose after your six-month dietary program. Putting a hard number on it as well as reasons why you want to lose weight gives you a straightforward path to follow.

Learn the Word “NO”

Goal achievers are comfortable saying “NO” to invites, requests, and favors that do not align with their goals. They aren’t people-pleasers and thus are able to conserve and devote their full attention and resources to their goals. This isn’t to say you should avoid all human contact in the pursuit of your goals. However, if you have a new side business you’re working on at the weekends or is saving money up for something special, be comfortable declining that ski trip that your friend group is going to or those frequent dinners in fancy restaurants that your relatives drag you to.

Avoid Multitasking

Multitasking was first advertised as a productivity-enhancing technique when it came out as a buzzword a decade ago. Since then, however, there have been many studies that show the technique isn’t beneficial for performance or productivity. In fact, it can lead to the exact opposite of what you were trying to use it for. Studies say that multitasking can have damaging effects on the human brain as it ends up splitting the limited focus, memory, and other cognitive functions into multiple tasks, which lead to loss of focus, dulling of analytical or problem-solving skills, and lowered quality of output.

Before you start working on a goal that you have for the day, make sure you can sit on it for at least a couple of hours before you stand up, stretch the legs, and drink some water. Allocate a daily or weekly time budget for each goal, depending on how large the goal in question is. For example, if your goal is to learn a new language or a new musical instrument, allocate at least two hours of your time to a training session.

Build a Support System

People who hit their goals consistently are able to do so because they have a support system around them. They understand the fact that you can accomplish a greater quantity and quality of output if you have the right people in place. A support system can be as simple as your family members and close friends. These are people who you come into contact with every day and have a huge influence on how you act and think. If you spend time with friends who have no interest in setting and hitting their goals, you’ll likely end up not setting or accomplishing your own either.

You can also find or form a support system made up of mentors and consultants. A life coach in Milwaukee & Madison, WI can help you set and achieve goals that are genuinely important to you, whether it’s a physical improvement or a spiritual one you seek.

Sticking to goals pave the way to a better future for you, personally and professionally. Without any goals, you’ll find yourself stuck living the same unfulfilled and repetitive routine every day.