Setting Intentional & Meaningful Goals for 2022

Hey guys! Welcome! I am so glad you are here today, because that means you are most likely on a goal setting journey and want to learn more about it. If you are new to my weekly blog, I would suggest checking out my first goal setting blog, “Goal Setting Made Easy”. https://sandradahl.ca/goal-setting/blog-post-title-four-ngkld-ErzkL-d3bsk-V6wom-9cjd7

I have been actively setting goals for only the past two years, and that time frame coincides with the start of my business. That of course, is not the only reason why I wanted to start actively setting intentional goals for myself. Prior to the last two years, I sort of felt lost. I didn’t know what I wanted out of life, nor what made my soul sing. I started getting back into makeup, and then bullet journaling and then decided to start a youtube channel. I created this website not long after. I kept my main youtube channel, and then added a second one for my makeup to “niche” down. Then, I added this blog and a sticker shop. Add two kids to the mix, and I’ve got myself a party! I may be a busy bee, but I still make time for family outings, date night with my husband, alone (me) time, reading, and journaling.

About halfway through this year, I realized that the 2021 goals I set for myself were really vague, and not as detailed or clear as I wanted. So, I started on a journey to determine what was most important to me. The good thing is, a lot of the goals that are technically habits (i.e. maintenance goals) are already ingrained in me as part of one of my routines, so I can take those off of my habit trackers and start tracking things I’m having more difficulty with.

I have used the Cultivate What Matters Powersheets Goal Planner for the past two years. This year, I have also used some tips from the Franklin Covey System, as well as from Muchelle B, with the Life Map Collective System. I also used prompts in my journaling routine to discover more about who I am (see my blog on “Know Yourself Through Journaling” here:https://sandradahl.ca/journaling/https/sandradahlca/blog-page-url/https/sandradahlca/blog-page-1) and where I want to take my life in the next year.

The first step to set some really good goals for yourself is to brainstorm. Write down all the things that you would like to achieve in your life time. (Even dreams that you wish could be fulfilled). Make four branches titled “2022”, “5 Years”, “10 Years” and “life time”, something similar to the diagram below.

Start adding your topics to the categories to where they best fit. For 2022, you are only going to concentrate on the “2022” topic, but it’s a good idea to look ahead at your future. If things change before then, it’s ok, but at least you have a general 5-year-directional plan, with some “big ideas” to look towards.

Before we get into the details, another way of looking at goals is using the terms maintenance goals, progress goals and stretch goals.

Maintenance Goals - goals you would track daily or weekly. (i.e. drinking water, getting enough sleep, reading daily, or journaling daily)

Progress Goals - something you are working towards that take more than one step (i.e. working towards a healthier lifestyle, losing 20 pounds, saving up for a new computer). The time frame for these goals are generally a month to a year.

Stretch Goals - these types of goals are something big you are dreaming about doing. (i.e. wanting to go on a New York trip). These take more time planning and many more steps to accomplish.

You can also put your goals under certain headings. For example, “physical health” goals might be drinking more water daily, eating breakfast every morning, or working out 3-5 times per week. These are maintenance goals, but with the working out example, the main goal might be to lose 20 pounds, which would be a progress goal. An example of a stretch goal for physical health might be running a marathon if that is something you have never done before, but you have always wanted to do.

In effect, you can look at stretch goals as long term “big” goals, and the progress goal is breaking it down into yearly, quarterly, or monthly goals. Maintenance goals would be the daily or weekly tasks you track to complete the monthly or quarterly progress goal.

On a new page, you can write, “2022” at the top - we will now focus on just the goals for this upcoming year. Take all of your ideas and number them in importance from one to X. If you are a seasoned goal setter, you can pick how many goals are achievable for you. If this is your first time, I would try to keep it simple and stick with no more than five goals. Of course, some goals may be more complex than others, so if you have many simple goals, then use your own discretion.

Once you have them numbered in importance, it’s important to write the following statements:

• Achievable elements of the goal

  - Exactly what the goal is

  - How long it will take (i.e. the due date)

  - A trackable quantity

• The “why” - if you have strong importance behind the goal, you will be more likely to achieve it.

Example:

Goal: Increase the quality of my videos

How/What: Save $2000 for a camera

When: Save 166.67 every month until December 2022.

Why: To improve quality of videos to gain more views, subscribers —> make more money to help support family.

Another way to display this goal is with a goal statement:

“I want to save $2000 for a new camera by December 2022 by saving $166.67 per month, for the entire year to help improve the quality of my videos and grow my channel”.

Write out these statements for each yearly goal that you have. Then, in another brainstorming session, write out the following:

This breaks down your yearly goals into the four quarters of the year. (Jan. - March), (April - June), (July - Sep.), and (Oct. - Dec.). Break these topics down further by the individual month.

Q1: 13 weeks X $38.46 = $499.98

Jan - 4 weeks X $38.46 = $153.84

Feb - 4 weeks X $38.46 = $153.84

Mar - 5 weeks X $38.46= $192.30

for a total of of $499.98

Obviously in this example, I am calculating it based on weeks, since we get paid weekly. However, do what works for you. If you get paid monthly, budget and calculate accordingly.

To further break this down, ensure you have a planner with a monthly and weekly planner to write down your scheduled tasks to accomplish your goals in the established time frame. (See my blog, “Why You Should Have a Planner). https://sandradahl.ca/planning/https/sandradahlca/blog-page-url/https/sandradahlca/blog-page-1

The trick with actually completing goals and following through (AND not quitting or giving up) is to break them down into actionable tasks that are simple and easy to accomplish on a weekly or daily time table. Also, another way is to not overwhelm yourself with too many goals (hence the limit of five stated earlier).

Once you have your goals broken down and scheduled, attempt to stick with them the best you can. Sometimes life happens, and things don’t always go to plan. The trick is not to put blame on yourself. Simply do better next time, and try not to be too hard on yourself.

It’s important to check in on your goals at least monthly. (I usually do a weekly check in, as well as a monthly and a quarterly check to see if I’m on track each period). You can see me do this in my Franklin Planning Videos on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mnl2kuRKC50. Use these check-ins to evaluate if your goal is still achievable in the original time frame. If not, move up the time or take an actionable step to make it happen. Sometimes our lives change and our goals are no longer valid. Change them at need, but remember, it takes dedication and hard work to achieve big dreams. Let me know if this blog has helped you in setting your goals!

Good luck and Happy Goal Setting!!

❤️ Sandra