Tangible Goal-Setting for Your Busy Lifestyle
I know what you may be thinking— oh boy, here she goes again talking about how busy life is these days.
Well, it is, and I know I’m not the only one feeling the pressure as vaccinations ramp up and the world seems to come into full-force again. The days are feeling shorter (even as they get longer as we catapult into summertime), and sometimes it feels like we’re all just doing all we can do to simply get by. To complete the day’s tasks and simply get through it, in other words.
That said, it seems like a far-off reach to talk about planning for the future and goal-setting when you’re just trying to survive the day. However, I’ve found that (even on days I feel like I’m losing my mind— which is most days), there are simple, not-so-time-consuming ways to work toward your longer term goals (and define them, if you aren’t quite sure what they are yet) in real, tangible ways.
From creating and utilizing simple vision boards to taking the “baby steps” needed to reach a longer term goal, here are some things you can do to work toward your goals (even when your schedule is packed full of real-life priorities).
I didn’t start working for Comcast NBCUniversal straight out of college. In fact, I worked three jobs in college, then worked at a job I didn’t love for a while after that, all the while taking time here and there to invest in my writing and editing skills to make the most of each day and each moment. Have 5-minutes of downtime at work? I would watch videos or read articles on honing my skills. I would apply to dream-jobs. It’s the little things and little moments in your schedule that can make all the difference at times.
Goal setting for the jet-setters, busy-bodies, and go-getters
Stuck at work all day? Watching the kids? A little bit of both? Here are some things you can still do to prioritize your goals and visions for the future in a realistic, simple way:
Phone. Notes. I am a bit believer in the “5-minute iPhone note break.” — If you have a big idea (or even a little-but-good idea), don’t just let it pass you by. You can take 5 minutes to yourself to think out loud, capture that thought, and jot it down in your phone notes.
Now, it can’t just stay in the phone notes. How can you set that great idea into action? Take another 5-minute break tomorrow (but don’t forget!) and break the idea down into tangible tasks. Looking to start an online business? Write “set up a website”, or “define my product”, or anything along those lines.
Then? Take 5-minutes tomorrow to actually try to do one of those tasks, or at least get one started. Take 5-minutes more tomorrow, or again that evening if you can. The point? Most of us can always take 5-minutes to scroll on our phones, so why not take 5-minutes to do something for ourselves every once in a while?
Tried taking your 5-minute breaks of “me” time to think and reconnect, but that’s just not enough? Try incorporating your goals into your existing daily routine. Taking care of kids all day? Watch a “mommy-and-me” yoga video on YouTube to get that daily workout in (if you’re working toward health goals.) Have a pet to care for while working remotely? Take that meeting outside, on your phone, while you take Fido or Spot for a nice long walk (again, an easy way to meet simple health goals.)
Don’t have the luxury or privilege of working from home, but still need some time to yourself to create, ideate, and work toward your longer-term goals? Revert back to the “5-minute” rule above. What can you do on your 15-minute break? Or your 30? That empowers you? Be it downloading a free meditation app (like HeadSpace) on your phone and doing a 10-minute session, or doing some phone research on a long-term goal of yours (like a new career path you’d like to pursue, your next big idea, etc.), the “short-but-powerful” break timing comes into play again here. I worked three jobs in college and this was often how I parceled out my time— if I was on a break, I did something that actually empowered me for a change, instead of worrying about others’ priorities.
Again, many of these things seem like a luxury (and there is a lot to be said about privilege when we have the conversation about goal-setting, self-care, and having enough time in the day to do all that), but there are exceedingly simple and not-so-time-consuming things you can do that don’t detract from your regular routine that will empower, inspire, and eventually lead you a step closer to where you want to be.
The baby-steps I took while working three jobs in college helped nudge me closer and closer to where I am now, and where I am now is a stepping-stone to where I want to be in a few years. Catch my drift? What can you do for you and your goals on this lovely Thursday? Think about it, and put it into action, even if just for a few minutes a day.
Xoxo, MM.