drhelvig
Welcome back to the 4th and final post in the goal-setting series! In last week’s post, we explored how to break down monthly goals into weekly ones. Today, we tackle the most important one: how to set daily goals that get you closer your larger overall goal. Since I live in Colorado and many of my coaching clients hike, ski, and snowboard, I’ll use a mountain analogy: if you want to climb a Fourteener, you have to focus on one step at a time because because looking up at the peak from the very bottom can seem daunting. However, if you just focus on taking the next step and do that repeatedly, you’ll soon look up and realize you’ve already climbed half the mountain.
Here are 5 tips on how to tackle your daily goals. Based on the last post, you’ve already sat down and addressed your top overall 1-2 weekly goals. Now, you’re going to turn those weekly tasks into daily goals.
1. Decide the next day’s daily goals the night before. This is really easy to do if it’s a work-related goal because by the end of the work day, you’ll have a good idea what your next task is based on where you ended. Either way, take 5 minutes to write down the next day’s goals before you stop work for the day, or at the very latest, before you go to sleep. A huge benefit of this is that you can release any worries about what you have to do the next day because the process of writing it down allows you to let it go. My clients tell me they sleep better because of this one thing alone!
2. Make the tasks simple but high-priority goals. In following the 80/20 rule, you get 80% of your results from 20% of your efforts, so find out what will make the most impact on your goals and start there. If your weekly goal is to eat healthier, your first daily task may be to search recipes and make a grocery list of items for healthy meals. If the task is complex, only put the first part of that task on your list. For instance, if you’re looking to change careers, put one task related to that on your daily list (e.g. revise your resume).
3. Have no more than 3 daily tasks on your list. This one is hard for most people but stay with me. One of the things I hear over and over again from clients is how they often put 10-20 things on their daily to-do list, but they couldn’t get everything done (because my clients are human), so they end up re-writing those unfinished things day after day. Doing that can make you feel like you failed and those tasks lose impact if they’re always on your list. From a psychological perspective, it’s better to give yourself bonus points for doing more on your list than feeling like you didn’t finish it.
4. Do one of the priority tasks on your list first thing in the morning. (Though after coffee of course!) Whether it’s getting in an exercise session before your household wakes up or getting into the office early to cross the first thing off your list, completing the first daily goal sets the tone for the day. You start out the day with a WIN, and that feeling of accomplishment and success is highly motivating and encourages even more success. No matter what happens the rest of the day or how busy things get with life and work, you’ve accomplished something important to you.
5. Protect your time around those goals! Many of my clients do not check email until that first goal is done (this method is very powerful which is why many clients use this time management skill), while others close their office door or go to a different room in their house. I have a work-at-home client who puts a “Stop Sign” picture on their office door when they’re doing this so their kids know not to interrupt and I have another client who has a shared workspace and uses humor to protect this time … they put on headphones and hang a sign on their chair that says “Work in Progress.” Do whatever it takes!
Think about what will happen with your large goals if you take just 1-2 steps every day toward them for an entire year! You will be amazed at your progress, especially when you look back at where you started … like standing at the mountain peak enjoying the gorgeous view around you and proud of your determination to reach the top.
Get started right now! Think of your overall weekly goals (you can use a planner or journal to track your daily progress) and list your first 1-3 daily goals for tomorrow:
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Now go crush those goals! Want more help? Schedule a free coaching consultation to see if coaching is a good fit for you today or email Dr. Kristi directly to schedule at drkristi@mindfulcareercoaching.com.