We often try to improve something about ourselves or our lives by setting goals. Setting goals is a great way to achieve personal development and achieve success in our careers. In fact, setting goals is important in achieving a fulfilled life for many reasons. Having goals encourages us to take action, track our progress, and stay accountable. But what happens if we set too many goals at one time? We can get overwhelmed and give up! So before you give up, take a look at the three steps to achieving your goals without feeling overwhelmed.
Look For Overlapping Goals
The funny thing about setting multiple goals at one time is that one may contradict the other. You say you want to travel more, but you also want to stay home more to rest because you are too busy and exhausted. If you find cases like this, take out a notebook and write down each goal. Then write out all of the reasons why you want to achieve each goal. You might find that what you really want is to be away from work. So maybe you need to change careers and maybe find a more flexible job or start a business that allows you to work from home. Or you may realize that taking mini-vacations or road trips will satisfy your desire to travel without you always being so far from home.
You may also find that some of your goals have a similar outcome. For example, you say you want to get healthier and also have more leisure time. Why not combine your leisure time with healthy activities such as taking tennis lessons, dancing, swimming, or another fun exercise that you enjoy?
Make The Time To Focus On Your Goals
Do you find yourself thinking or saying that you “don’t have time” to take on anything right now? The truth is that we take time for things that mean something to us. If you really want to achieve a goal, you may need to adjust your schedule a little to make time to focus on your goal. Make time on your calendar and treat it like you would an important meeting or appointment. Instead of saying, “I don’t have time to exercise,” try saying, “I’m not making the time to exercise.” We find time for the things that truly matter to us.
Be Flexible
You’ve probably heard about setting SMART goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. While this is an excellent way to set goals, it may feel too formal for some people. While it’s good to put a timeline together and have a definite date for time-sensitive goals, this can be a bit overwhelming and bring unnecessary pressure. Life happens, and often it gets in the way of achieving the goals we set. It’s fine to set milestones along your goal-setting timeline, but don’t hold yourself to it rigidly. Be able to adapt to the occasional curveball life throws at you. And most importantly, don’t beat yourself up and feel like a failure if you can’t achieve your goal at a set time.
Still Overwhelmed?
If you feel you have too many goals, take a step back. Think about what’s most important to you at this moment. Work on one goal at a time. You may need to put other goals on hold and focus on the most important ones first. Once you achieve one goal, it will motivate you to keep going after the next one.