December 11, 2018

10 Tips for Achieving Your Goals

At the end of last year as I sat down to plan my goals for this year, the process reminded me of 2015 when we were first starting to plan out my goal of starting Hello Day; and looking back on that year, I remembered several techniques and methods that really helped. Considering the fact that only 8% of people actually achieve their goals, I decided to look some more into the best methods for success and share them with you, so that they might help you when goal planning in future.

In doing some research I came across a list put together by Norma Reid, a certified Life Coach, whose list rang so true, I decided to share it here, with some other comments and findings:

1) Write them down! Statistics show people who write down their goals have over an 80% higher success rate of achieving them. Start a Goals journal. Make sure they are SMART goals- specific, measurable, achievable, results-oriented and time-limited.

Isn’t that incredible?! A 80% higher success rate! I always knew that writing down my goals made it more likely that I would achieve them, just from experience. However, there is also a scientific explanation behind this link. Mary Morrissey, an author and coach writing in The Huffington Post, describes a large-scale experiment conducted at the Dominican University in California, where Dr. Gail Matthews studied the art and science of goal-setting using 267 people from all walks of life and separated them by those who wrote down their goals and those who didn’t. She discovered that those who wrote down their goals and dreams on a regular basis achieved those desires at a significantly higher level than those who did not. You can read all about the experiment here.

2) Create a plan made of small doable steps to get you where you want to be, with timelines. Review your plan monthly.

I can certainly relate to this, and this is precisely why in the Hello Day Planner we give you the tools to break down your goals into achievable milestones which can be worked towards on a monthly basis. We have another blog about this feature here.

3) Write down your compelling reason for wanting the goal. Write it with passion, with feeling, with energy.

Do this at the beginning of the year as your are deciding on your goals. Once you’ve decided on them, spend some time writing down exactly why – then you can get cracking with your Hello Day Goal Planning pages.

 4) Create 3 to 5 believable positive power statements that will keep you on track. Make them juicy enough to excite you and keep you motivated. Use the present tense.

You might struggle with this at first, or even feel a little silly, but these statements cab really begin to change your mindset and in turn your self-perception. I sometimes stick these up around my office. You can get some great ones online or create them yourself.

Jen Sincero is big on this, on regularly repeating your statements throughout the day. and if you haven't read any of her books yet, I'd highly recommend them - she's awesome (and hilarious). 

“Our ‘realities’ are make-believe — whatever we make ourselves believe, we experience” — Jen Sincero

 5) Visualize what it is like having achieved your goal. Visualize you are living it- taste it, feel it, smell it, see it, revel in it.

Lots of people encourage you to create a vision board to help with this. It’s actually quite fun and easy to get really into it. Pinterest is a great way of creating you vision board online. Look at it every day!

 6) Start a daily routine. Each morning review your goals, your compelling reasons and say aloud your powerful positive statements. Visualize your goal already obtained. Write out one step you can take today to achieve your goal. Then do it! No excuses- make your goal a priority! Repeat your power statements throughout the day.

We’re all about morning routine, and that’s why in our Hello Day planners we encourage you to spend time each day planning your day out, prioritising, and giving you the prompts to make sure you get everything done that you need to.

 7) Replace negative self-talk/beliefs with life-enhancing ones. Know that you are the creator of your thoughts and beliefs, and choose ones that are life-enhancing rather than limiting.

Our positive quotes and inspirational hand lettered artwork by Too Wordy are chosen precisely to encourage positive thoughts and self-belief.

 8) Journal daily- your thoughts, emotions, barriers, possible solutions/alternatives, daily successes, your gratitudes.

Whilst you may not have the space to journal daily in your planner, we certainly know the benefit of this, and have two journals: Chic Journal and Every Day Journal available in Hello Day for those who want to journal to their hearts’ content.  

 9) Enlist support to keep you accountable! Find a buddy, join a group, hire a coach. Make sure your buddy is in tune with your goal, and will support you in a positive way.

In the study mentioned above, Dr. Gail Matthews also concluded that you become even more likely to achieve your written goals if you share them with a trusted friend – someone who believed in you.

 10) Celebrate your successes! Set up small milestones in your journey, and when you reach them, celebrate! And at the end, celebrate some more!

In our Original planner layout we have an affirmation each Monday to Friday, with Friday’s being ‘This Week’s Win’. It is important to celebrate your achievements as you work towards your bigger goals.

I really hope that these tips can help you when planning your goals for 2019. I’d encourage you to use the links in the blog post to read some more on this topic and to use your Hello Day planner every day, taking advantage of all its features to push you towards your goals throughout the year.  

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