Let me open by saying it doesn’t matter when you start your goals. I’m more of a seasonal kinda person, but if you like to set them at the beginning of the year, it’s only February, so we have the whole year ahead of us!
Another note I want to make is that this isn’t steeped in hustle culture. These tips and tricks include celebrating your wins and looking at what didn’t work in the past as a springboard instead of a failure. We’re bringing in flexibility and preparedness so that overwhelm doesn’t knock us on our asses and keep us from what we want to achieve. I’m also coming at this through an ADHD lens, where distractibility is my main downfall. This approach doesn’t have to stay in the business realm; you can use these tools to help you on your health and self-care journey, to manage your home better, save money, or even find time to add in something fun you’ve always wanted to do, like travel. This is universal! So let’s get into it.
Goals and Roadblocks
Goals can keep us on a trajectory. They’re tools that help lead us to important benchmarks and accomplishments. Having them is great, but they don’t work as well without a game plan. And they’re harder to reach when you’re run down and in a bad mood. Some things that may prevent us from following through are goals being too big with no clear roadmap, losing sight of our timeline, or something higher priority coming along and having to pivot. The following pointers should help alleviate some of that stress.
Celebrating Your Wins
I have the worst habit of completing a goal and immediately asking, “what’s next?” Focusing only on productivity will make us think we must constantly be working at something or pumping out work. Our worth correlates with how busy we are, how much work we take, and how hard we hustle. And this sets us up for minimizing the hard work we do to reach our goals in the first place. It’s unhealthy.
We have to start acknowledging our accomplishments, no matter how big or small. Celebrating our wins helps build our confidence and gives us the fuel to continue. Have you ever thought to yourself, “ wow, I’ve been so lazy today. I haven’t done anything.” when reality points to you getting out of bed, taking care of yourself in the morning, making meals for yourself, maybe taking care of your kids or pets, doing dishes or laundry, answering emails, going to work, etc. Do you see what I’m getting at? We don’t give ourselves credit for everything we do, even though it requires time and effort. As someone with ADHD, this helps keep me in check - I may not have managed to complete a big goal I had, but I have put effort into the things that matter and into maintaining where I am now. Give yourself credit!!
If you have trouble finding something to celebrate, I want you to try this: write down things you’re proud of each day. It will shift your thinking, help you seek out those little accomplishments, and help you stay motivated to keep moving forward. I can ALWAYS find something small. Baby steps are still steps! Of course, write down the big ones, too. Whenever you feel like you’re not doing enough or have so much farther to go, take a beat to think about how far you’ve come. This will help get you out of those funks, and when you’re run down and need to rest, you can look at everything you’ve done up until that point. You are making progress! Sometimes it’s hard to see when you’re not feeling your best.
Understanding What Works Best for You (and Not Someone Else)
Start by taking an honest inventory of what has and hasn’t worked for you. Are you doing something just because you feel like you should? Take the time to evaluate why you intend to keep it around, and if it isn’t working for you, that’s okay! I give you full permission to drop it so you can find something that does work.
Let’s look at those wins: what’s worked well for you that you would like to carry forward into the new year? For example, did you develop a schedule that suits you well or a system that helps get you in the flow? Maybe you started adding something to your routine and want to create more space for it in the coming year. Whatever it is, carry it forward.
Now for what hasn’t worked. We’re going to reframe a bit. I don’t want you to think of these as failures or be hard on yourself; we’re our worst critics. Try thinking of it this way: you decided to try something out, and it didn’t fit. It’s great that you tried in the first place and even better that you’re taking the time to reevaluate it. So what happens to what you don’t like? Can it be reworked for this year, or would you like to leave it behind altogether? This is your springboard for understanding yourself better, and that’s something to be proud of, so add it to your list for today.
From my experience with ADHD, I have tried lots of tricks for productivity, creativity, scheduling, and even chores that just don’t fit my lifestyle or energy levels. I know my day-to-day looks vastly different from the 9 to 5 and even other artists, but I’ve found what works for me. And what’s equally important, I know I am allowed to evolve and make changes as I outgrow my systems. Just because it worked for me in the past doesn’t mean it works for me now. So pay attention to that aspect and be honest with yourself. You’ll benefit the most if you are!
Creating Your Roadmap
It’s time to set some goals! Do not overwhelm yourself by coming up with multiple, extensive ideas. Start off simple and pick no more than three; I’d say two small and a bigger one or two that are mid-complexity. Once they’re broken down into bite-sized tasks, you’ll see how much there is to do to reach each one successfully. If you meet what you set out to do, you can always start on another!
My best advice for following through with your goals is to use the SMART method. It’s a popular way to break down the big picture. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s an acronym for specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-bound (with minor variations). These parameters lay out a roadmap with a timeline and consider any barriers that may arise, allowing you flexibility and the ability to pivot when needed.
Specific: Your goal is as detailed as possible and includes who, what, where, and when.
Measurable: You can measure the success of your goal, track your progress, and know when your goal has been met.
Actionable: You’re able to make progress toward your goal.
Realistic: Your goal can be achieved in the timeframe you have.
Time-bound: You have a timeline with dates to keep you on track.
If you really want to dive into this, I have a 15-page guide with a complete breakdown of SMART and specific examples to show you exactly how to use this method. It’s available through my email list.
Tools for Organization
Whether you like to keep things digital or physical, you’ll need something to keep yourself organized and on track. Here are a few things you can use depending on your preference:
Planner - keeps track of important deadlines and daily tasks
Notebook - create a bullet journal or use it as a catch-all for your goals, to-do lists, creative ideas, etc.
Calendar - choose a small book calendar, a desk blotter, or a wall calendar with photos; whatever suits your needs
Whiteboard - keep a running list of your tasks for the day/week/month and other important notes
Vision board - use visuals for each benchmark to inspire and motivate you
Spreadsheet - use this to keep up to date with your tasks and timeline
Google Calendar - you can color code things based on the type of task or appointment and toggle between them
Pinterest - use this as a digital vision board; as a bonus, the pins you choose may have a helpful blog link
Notes app or similar - set up folders for your categories and use them the same way as a physical notebook
Desktop or tablet background - add some widgets, and you can use it the same way as a whiteboard
Inspiring Books and Resources
I have two book recommendations that cover more than goal-setting but definitely apply to it. Atomic Habits by James Clear is about improving little by little each day, and Mastering Your Adult ADHD: A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Program is a workbook specifically geared towards people with ADHD (obviously). I’m not sponsored, nor will I receive any payments for providing these links to you. I’ve just found these resources helpful and want to share them. I consider myself a resource, too! You can sign up for my newsletter and follow along with my blog. My previous posts aren’t as in-depth as this one, but moving forward, they will be.
Work With Me
I do more than write blogs; I’m a business coach, too! I specialize in teaching other creatives how to build their businesses for growth through supportive systems and foundations. In addition to In-Depth Coaching, I offer a Goal-Setting Intensive where we’ll cover the SMART method with your individual goals, then plan a roadmap for the next year. You can learn more about my offerings on my coaching page.