I should start with a caveat and that is that I’m human.
A life coach yes but human first.
Goals are something I set and work towards and yet I don’t always achieve them quite in the way I expect (or at all). And, well, that’s life.
One thing I have realised as both a coach and a human is that achieving goals is all about consistency. Of course, you must have a clear idea of what you want and the steps needed to get you there. But then it’s repetition that will help you succeed.
As James Clear so elegantly puts it
“Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress. A handful of problems arise when you spend too much time thinking about your goals and not enough time designing your systems”
So as an aid to helping you avoid these problems and start to build your own systems for success. I want to share with you the tools I use to help me achieve my goals.
Firstly I should share that I am a super organised person naturally and honed the skill when working as an executive assistant. Multiple inboxes, calendars and tasks meant I had to keep on top of a lot of things and certainly couldn’t just remember them all.
Goals are no different, easily forgotten or dropped to the back of the mind when normal daily life gets in the way. So to help me keep them planned in and front of mind I use Google Calendar & Google Keep.
My goals get placed on their own list at the top of google keep and I schedule reminders, to check in, on my calendar. I also block out chunks of time to focus on certain goals such as weekly gym sessions or writing a blog.
Each week I set my top 3 priorities and seeing my goals in front of me when I do means I can check that they align. The same is true when I book appointments into my calendar, seeing the goals reminds me to ask - Will this help me or hinder me in being successful?
I love a colourful sticky note brainstorm session when my mind feels cloudy.
Seeing each thing down on its own note helps me to clear my mind and organise my thoughts.
They also act as bright reminders and this is how I use them to support my goals.
Any action that I get stuck on, particularly if it’s a daily task, gets its own sticky note and gets pride of place in the house wherever I need the reminder.
I love the digital world we live in (yes I’m a kindle lover!) and yet there is nothing more powerful than putting pen and paper when it comes to the mind.
So although research shows that writing out your goals increases the likelihood of success (and I highly recommend doing so). I like to keep my goals digital and my successes analogue.
I have a notebook I keep on my desk dedicated to my achievements each day. This helps to keep my motivation high and my negativity bias at bay, ultimately keeping me on track to achieve my goals.
Meditation supports me in many ways.
It can clear my mind, reduce overwhelm, relax my body and help me to embody my goals.
Taking a moment to drop into how I will feel when I achieve my goal is particularly helpful on the days when willpower is low.
It helps me to reset and connect back to the reasons why I set the goal to begin with and restores my enthusiasm.
A coach (or a really amazing friend) is a godsend when it comes to achieving goals.
My coaches have:
Generated ideas to help me stay on track
Held me accountable
Helped me to navigate obstacles
Reminded me how far I have come at just the right time.
And so much more.
I couldn’t be more grateful for the many coaches I have had since I found coaching around 7 years ago.
So there we are, 5 key tools I use to help me achieve my goals.
Of course step one is to set goals while honouring your whole self and then introduce your own systems to ensure success.
What goals are you working on right now? Which tools will you introduce to support you in staying consistent?
Always here to support.
With Love
