How Planning Will Help You Smash Your Goals

By Ellen Walford

"There are dreamers and there are planners; the planners make their dreams come true". It's true! So we have put together a list of ways for how planning will help you smash your goals.

Be Realistic

With a plan and the right mindset anything is possible, but you also need to be realistic about what you can achieve. Think about time frames, and realistically how long you need to achieve your goals. If you have a career goal, consider how long you need to achieve that goal – will this be weeks, months or up to a year? You can’t achieve long-term goals overnight – but you can take small steps to achieve that goal in the long run. You need to believe you can achieve anything you want, after all, believing in yourself is the key to success.

Know your WHY

The first thing to do when setting your goals is to ask yourself why. Why do you want to achieve this goal? Your WHY will be personal to you. For example, if you have a career goal, your why could be that there will be a financial reward. If you have a personal goal, your why could be that you want to spend more time with your family/friends. Once you know your why write it down in your journal – then you can look at it whenever you feel unmotivated or need a little reminder of why you are doing what you’re doing.  

Visualise what you want

Some of the world’s most productive people swear by visualisation. If you want to achieve your goals, you need to visualise yourself achieving them. Be clear on what it is you want, and what that looks and feels like to you. A few ways to visualise your goals are: create a vision board, meditation, or talking through your vision with a friend or family member. Whichever technique you choose, focus clearly on what achieving that goal feels like and what your life will be like once you get there.

Make a Plan and Write it Down

The saying goes - a goal without a plan is just a wish! To achieve anything in life you need to take consistent, daily steps towards that goal. Set yourself a long-term goal then devise a daily plan/steps to achieve that goal. Break it up into smaller goals so you can track your progress, for example, break down your long-term goal into daily tasks that you need to tick off. Write this all down, put it in your diary, whatever works for you. Just make sure you have a clear, written plan that can help keep you accountable. Breaking down your goals will make them more achievable!

Stay Focused

When you’re finding it hard to focus, revisit your why, and your written plan. Remind yourself how far you’ve come and practice your goal visualisation. Staying focused is key to being successful and working to achieve your long-term and short-term goals.

We have no doubt that with the right mindset and the above tips, you can achieve anything you set out to do.

Remember to believe in yourself, visualise, and stay focused! You got this!