SETTING GOALS FOR 2021
- Emily Moranski
- Dec 30, 2020
- 4 min read
The end of 2020 is near. HOORAY!! One of the wildest years to date. We just got back from visiting family in Wisconsin. We went from 12 degrees in Wisconsin to 75 degrees in Texas. Talk about weather shock.
The time between Christmas and New Years is like an unknown abyss, right?! Throughout the years I’ve developed a system to reflect and review on the past year, then dream and set goals for the new year! I absolutely love New Years Days because I love this system. It helps me appreciate what has happened over the last year (even through a crappy year like 2020) and look ahead.
*You will need a pen/pencil, journal/paper, and your phone for this. If you prefer to write on a electronic device, feel free to instead of pen and paper. This system will take you at least an hour, if not longer.*
Part 1: Reflect
Take a look through all of your pictures on your phone from this past year. Or however you store your photos. Write down all the good things that happened. Sometimes I write down 20 things! This can be as big as getting married or as small as baking cookies.
Once you have all of those written out pick your top three. These will become your 3 highlights of the year!
3 HIGHLIGHTS
1)
2)
3)
Next write down 3 disappointments. Typically these are easier to remember. Think about work, school, relationship, unachieved goals, etc.
3 DISAPPOINTMENTS
1)
2)
3)
Part 2: Review and Dream
This next part I adapted from someone else’s blog post, here’s the link: http://www.thelizgriffin.com/home-1/2018/12/27/15-questions-for-2019
REVIEW
1. What didn’t work well for me this year?
Think through weekly rhythms, relationships, goals, etc. What things did you want to get done but never did? What held you back? What were areas that caused the most frustration?
2. What did work?
Again, think through weekly rhythms, relationships, goals, etc. What did you achieve? What were you so good at that you crushed it? Make sure to continue those things.
3. What did I learn?
Look back over the two previous questions, as well as the highlights and disappointments. What was on your mind this year that you were constantly thinking about?
DREAM
1. Who do I want to be this next year?
Sometimes a long to do lists of goals is extremely overwhelming. Take a step back and think about the person you want to be. Do you want to be the best wife in the world? What does that look like to you? Do you want to achieve some professional goals? Do you want to be healthier? When you look back at 2021 who have you become? Write that person down.
2. What practical things can I be doing to become that person?
Think about that person you want to be. What are things you need to be doing to become that person? How can you get that promotion? What do you need to show your company? How can you be the best wife? What does that look like on a daily basis?
3. What is my word for this year?
Faith is really important to me. This question is more of a spiritual question. I will take some time to put on relaxing music and meditate. For me, I put on worship music and meditate on who God is, pray, and wait on him. For you, that could be relaxing spa music and letting your mind be still, thinking of the highlights from the past year and who you want to become. Then from this time, write down what came to your mind.
Part 3: Action
SMART Goals
S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Achievable
R - Relevant
T - Time-based
Turn your dreams into actions! This is where you get specific so it actually happens and doesn’t sit in the dream journal the whole year.
SPECIFIC. If you want to lose weight, how will you lose weight? Try focusing on numbers or tangible goals. Such as I want to lose 10 pounds, I want to get a promotion at work, I want to go on date nights with my husband.
MEASURABLE. Break the goal down into parts. To accomplish a big goal, take baby steps to get there. What are your daily, weekly, monthly tasks. Such as working out 3x a week, asking for feedback on a monthly basis, having a date night every other week on Tuesday night.
ACHIEVABLE. The goal needs to be realistic. You can’t become a movie star overnight, but what steps could you take to get there.
RELEVANT. This is your goal, not your mom’s or your best friend’s. It needs to be relevant to the person you want to be. If you want to be healthier, don’t have a goal about baking cookies every week.
TIME-BASED. Give your goal a time limit. When do you want to meet this goal? Is it in a year? In 3 weeks? In 6 months?
Here are some examples:
- I want to lose 10 pounds in 6 months. I will workout 3x a week using at home workouts.
- I want to strengthen my relationship with my husband by going on date nights twice a month on Tuesdays nights. We will set aside 200 every month in our budget to go on dates.
- I want to achieve a promotion at work by the end of the year. I will let my supervisors know I am seeking a position and ask for ways to go about getting this position. I will ask for feedback on a monthly basis.
Check out this site for some more tips on smart goals: https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/smart-goal-setting
I hope you enjoyed reflecting on 2020 and dreaming ahead for 2021. You don’t need to do every part of this system. This is just what works for me. Do what works for you and make it your own.
There are so many things to be thankful for in 2020, even though we may not think about it all the time. The great thing about the new year is you get to dream and change some habits.
Cheers to 2021 friends!!
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