Better Goals For 2018

We’ve reached the time of year that we’re going to hear the New Year Scrooges harp about the silliness of setting goals for the New Year—because you shouldn’t need a singular day to start reaching a goal. True. But I love this time of year. Everyone is motivated and inspired, and that makes me feel motivated an inspired.

In my rough draft of goals, I list things like: “get healthier,” “save more,” “read more,” etc. I’m sure your goals do or did look the same initially.  But did you know that 80% of goals set fail by February? That means the odds are pretty much against you. But I think it can be chalked up to bad goal setting techniques.

Last year, I offered a few of my tips for better goal setting and my own goals. However, this year I want to simply offer better goals for 2018 — and what I mean by that is instead of your general “exercise more” goals, we’re going to change the verbiage and make it a little more attainable. (And put your goals into the 20% that don’t fail.)

• The Goal: Be Healthier: You want to be a healthier human? That’s amazing! But what do you mean?
  • Better Goals:
    • Cook more at home: This is subjective and depends on your lifestyle. Do you eat out every day? Maybe limit yourself to 3-4 times a week and cook at home the rest of the time. For me, I want to limit myself to eating out 1-2 a week max. I’m a good cook, and I enjoy it. I’ve just gotten lazy.
    • Finish a specific workout: So my goal last year was to finish this video in one go. I didn’t reach that goal, but I sure as hell am this year. I’m determined. And it’s a lot easier to measure than “work out more.”
    • Get into a sleep schedule: This is like a pot calling a kettle black, because my sleep cycle is so messed up. But we all should really try to get enough sleep. Yes, you. Create a routine that gets you into a relaxed and sleepy mood and start waking up at the same time every day.

 

• The Goal: Get Better With Money: You want to learn more about money management and increase your net worth? That’s so cool! Me too. But how are you going to do that?
  • Better Goals:
    • Make sure my emergency account is established: If you don’t have at least 3 months of living expenses in an account you don’t touch, that’s only for emergencies, you need to establish this.
    • Answer my own money questions: If there are terms or general financial topics you don’t understand, educate yourself. Reach out to someone who is knowledgeable on the subject or do online research to familiarize yourself with these concepts.
    • Find my financial buddies: For some reason, it’s really taboo to talk about money. But I think you should have a small group of peers that are understanding and nonjudgmental that you can talk about money with. You can compare strategies and ask advice, and you won’t feel judged in the process. Also you’re all on the same page—so if you say “I can’t go out, I can’t afford it right now,” they’ll be okay with that.

 

• The Goal: Better Myself: It’s always a good time to better yourself.
  • Better Goals:
    • Learn a new skill or hobby: Find a weekly class that separates you from work that’s enjoyable to you—preferably during the week. 1. Not all enjoyable things have to happen during the week. 2. You will never regret learning something new. If you don’t have a hobby/skill class near you, learn a new language at home, give hand lettering a go from the comfort of your own living room, or learn how to play an instrument from Youtube. Options are endless here.
    • Read 10 pages of a book per day: If you’re not a big reader or feel like you don’t have the time, I think rather than setting an X Books This Year goal, it’d be more effective to focus on creating a habit of reading. Set a goal of 5-10 pages per day. Eventually 5 pages will make you want to read 5 more, and before you know it, you’ll have the entire book read and a new started.
    • Create my adult space: I’m talking de-cluttering, maintaining a tidy house, and spending your money wisely in your home. Did you play The Sims? You know the mood bars—and your Sim was really affected by his/her environment? Yeah. You are too. You’ll be tremendously more productive if you enjoy being in your space. So you don’t want to have dishes piled to the heavens and clutter everywhere.

 

What are some of your goals for the 2018? Leave them in the comments below so we can motivate each other.