How to Stay on Track
Revisit your priorities., Focus on one goal at a time., Track your progress., Learn from setbacks.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Revisit your priorities.
In order to make sure you stay on track towards goal-attainment, you have to verify that your goals align with your overall vision.
You can do this by clarifying your personal values and comparing them to the goals you have set.For instance, you may find that your most important values are family, charity, and creativity.
If you set a goal to get promoted at your job in six months’ time, this goal may conflict with your values of family and creativity.
Take a look at your goals and see if they currently align with your personal values.
Your main goals should work in conjunction with these values, not in competition.
Look closely that the goals themselves, too.
Are they genuine? Are they based on your aspirations and desires or, perhaps, on what you think other people or society expects? Revisit your reasoning and know why you are working towards your goals. -
Step 2: Focus on one goal at a time.
If you’re striving towards several competing goals, it’s easy to get blown off course.
Narrow your focus and improve your chances of success by working towards one major goal at a time.
Then, break this goal down into smaller, more manageable segments that you can steadily work towards.For example, if you're trying to save money but also have a goal to travel, these goals might be difficult to do simultaneously.
You may have to choose which one is most important to your right now.
If you’re juggling several goals at once, you could try using a digital tracking app.
An app like LifeTick, for instance, asks you to set specific, measurable, time-specific goals and then create steps required to reach those goals.
It lets you stay focused and keep track of how far you’ve come – and how far is left to go., Attainable goals all have one thing in common: you can measure your progress.
If you haven’t been tracking your advancement towards the ultimate goal, how can you know when you get there? You can’t.
That’s why you need to build clear measures into your goals.For instance, if you set the goal “save more money,” there is no clear indicator of what that means or when you get there. “Save more money” could translate to $5 or $5000.
Set goals that you can easily track, such as “Save $5000 by 6:00pm on October 27th.” Again, digital tracking apps may help you monitor your progress.
Some apps like LifeTick let you set goals and track your steps toward most any goal, while others can focus on specific goals.
The Quitnow app, for example, specializes in helping people quit smoking., Everyone encounters obstacles while trying to reach their goals.
But, if you anticipate them, you can move past these obstacles more quickly.
The trick is to not dwell on the problem, but immediately focus on a viable solution.
When you encounter a setback, review the situation to determine what went wrong.
Seek out feedback from others.
Revise your plan in light of the new information you now have.
Then, renew your commitment to the goal and keep going.For example, you ate unhealthy despite your new diet.
If this happens, immediately return to the plan.
Maybe it happened because you had not prepped your meals, so you can prevent it from reoccurring by always planning your meals ahead.
The key is to not allow setbacks to cause you to feel like a failure and give up altogether.
Use them, instead, to learn and motivate yourself. -
Step 3: Track your progress.
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Step 4: Learn from setbacks.
Detailed Guide
In order to make sure you stay on track towards goal-attainment, you have to verify that your goals align with your overall vision.
You can do this by clarifying your personal values and comparing them to the goals you have set.For instance, you may find that your most important values are family, charity, and creativity.
If you set a goal to get promoted at your job in six months’ time, this goal may conflict with your values of family and creativity.
Take a look at your goals and see if they currently align with your personal values.
Your main goals should work in conjunction with these values, not in competition.
Look closely that the goals themselves, too.
Are they genuine? Are they based on your aspirations and desires or, perhaps, on what you think other people or society expects? Revisit your reasoning and know why you are working towards your goals.
If you’re striving towards several competing goals, it’s easy to get blown off course.
Narrow your focus and improve your chances of success by working towards one major goal at a time.
Then, break this goal down into smaller, more manageable segments that you can steadily work towards.For example, if you're trying to save money but also have a goal to travel, these goals might be difficult to do simultaneously.
You may have to choose which one is most important to your right now.
If you’re juggling several goals at once, you could try using a digital tracking app.
An app like LifeTick, for instance, asks you to set specific, measurable, time-specific goals and then create steps required to reach those goals.
It lets you stay focused and keep track of how far you’ve come – and how far is left to go., Attainable goals all have one thing in common: you can measure your progress.
If you haven’t been tracking your advancement towards the ultimate goal, how can you know when you get there? You can’t.
That’s why you need to build clear measures into your goals.For instance, if you set the goal “save more money,” there is no clear indicator of what that means or when you get there. “Save more money” could translate to $5 or $5000.
Set goals that you can easily track, such as “Save $5000 by 6:00pm on October 27th.” Again, digital tracking apps may help you monitor your progress.
Some apps like LifeTick let you set goals and track your steps toward most any goal, while others can focus on specific goals.
The Quitnow app, for example, specializes in helping people quit smoking., Everyone encounters obstacles while trying to reach their goals.
But, if you anticipate them, you can move past these obstacles more quickly.
The trick is to not dwell on the problem, but immediately focus on a viable solution.
When you encounter a setback, review the situation to determine what went wrong.
Seek out feedback from others.
Revise your plan in light of the new information you now have.
Then, renew your commitment to the goal and keep going.For example, you ate unhealthy despite your new diet.
If this happens, immediately return to the plan.
Maybe it happened because you had not prepped your meals, so you can prevent it from reoccurring by always planning your meals ahead.
The key is to not allow setbacks to cause you to feel like a failure and give up altogether.
Use them, instead, to learn and motivate yourself.
About the Author
Alexis Butler
A passionate writer with expertise in practical skills topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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