Why Setting Smart Blog and Personal Goals For The New Year Is A Must
“It's better to be at the bottom of the ladder you want to climb, than at the top of the one you don't.” - Stephen Kellogg
Goodness me, it’s that time of year again when everyone starts thinking about setting goals and intentions!
Of course, goals can be set whenever you want in the year, but there’s still that stigma that you gotta have it all planned out and ready for when the 1st of January rolls around…
If you’re like me, that fresh January feeling represents a brand new year to play with, however, I don’t set my goals in December ready for the beginning of January – oh no…
I’m the one sitting down and using the whole of January to set my goals because, for me, it’s not something to be rushed.
I like the slower process of getting into the new year calmly and peacefully, well as calmly and as peacefully as you can with two boys running around the place 🙂
I tend to use January as my planning month, where I can sit down after the chaos of Christmas and the New Year festivities and really look at what I want to do and achieve that year!
I simply can’t do that can’t kind of planning and thinking around my kids’ craziness and excitement in the lead-up to Santa’s arrival…
I don’t know about you, but 2022 just flew by and stepping into 2023 seems super weird and surreal.
The last 2-3 years have been crazy for everyone around the world and we’ve all gone through some extremely tough times, but I’m hoping that as we move into this new year, we can finally start taking a breath and living life to the fullest again!
I’m not going to lie, in the past, goal setting has never been one of my strong points, but this year I’m focused on a number of things I want to achieve – both personally and with my blog!
So, let’s get into it and look at why setting smart blog & personal goals for the new year is a must…
“This post does contain affiliate links throughout and if you make a purchase using one of my links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you”
What is Goal Setting?
Before we hit the ground running, I want to talk a bit about what goal setting actually is, because the idea of it can freak a lot of people out…
We all want to achieve things in life, but knowing what you want and getting to the end result can feel daunting and overwhelming.
That’s why it’s so important to set yourself goals and intentions before you start attacking your big ideas and dreams…
Goal setting is all about being clear on what you want, so you can put steps in place to reach them.
It’s about committing yourself to a particular plan or action and setting out the steps you need to take, in order to get the end result you desire.
Setting goals also comes down to having a timeline or timescale in which to achieve them, because goals with no end date are just never going to come to fruition!
Putting a time limit on a goal is what pushes you to really go for it because be honest with yourself, if you left it open-ended, how focused and driven are you really going to be…
It’s like saying, for example, that you want to train for a triathlon, but then not putting plans in place to get there.
I mean you wouldn’t just sign up and go for it, without any practice or training…
You know that you’ll have to train regularly, have rest days, listen to your body to prevent injury, and research thoroughly about all the ins and outs of participating in a triathlon etc…
Writing down a well-thought-out plan is what will get you moving in the right direction towards completing your goal!
All I’ve talked about above is where the S.M.A.R.T. Goal Setting idea comes from.
Specific
Measurable
Achievable/Attainable
Relevant/Realistic
Time-Bound
You need to be specific with your goals so that you’re fully clear on what it is your end result is going to be.
The goal needs to be measurable, in that you need to be able to keep track of the progress you’re making.
For example, if you’re wanting to start building an email list and the end goal is gaining 10,000 new email subscribers by the end of the year – you can look at something like aiming to gain 1000 subscribers a week to keep you on track…
Making your goal achievable/attainable is also a must! Realistic goals can be challenging (and should be) but you don’t want to be setting yourself up to fail.
Try and set your goals for things that don’t seem completely out of reach, and be realistic too with the time frames you set to achieve your goals.
Your goals should be relevant, in that they need to be worthwhile for you and your life.
They should also align with your purpose and benefit you in some way, as you’ll find they’re a lot easier to achieve if they serve you this way.
Finally, being time-bound with your goals is one of the most important factors in smart goal setting.
A goal with no end date can easily be pushed aside. Setting time frames and sticking to them, allows you to be less stressed, and more motivated and makes you prioritise the fact it’s important to you.
You’ll see more of the S.M.A.R.T idea being talked about as you go through this blog post and head here to dive deeper into Smart goal setting…
What are the Benefits of Setting Goals?
There are so many benefits to goal setting in any scenario.
Some of the things that setting goals will enable you to do are:
Feel positive about your dreams and aspirations
Feel motivated and driven
Stay focused on what it is you want to achieve
Have a strong plan in place to come back to when you’re going off track
Helps you be specific in your intentions
Visualise things so they’re easier to imagine reaching
The simple act of writing intentions down gives you a clear head and something to refer back to time and time again.
I find if something is written down, it means I’m serious about it.
It’s there in black and white and if I’ve taken the time to write them down and make the effort to include them, I know I’ll want to do all I can to reach the desired outcome for the goals!
Setting goals for the future gives you a path to follow and a sense of control!
Having control over how you want the next 6 months, 9 months, 12 months etc to look, gives you a purpose and an aim to work towards.
Why You Need to Include Small Goals + Big Goals…
I’m a big fan of big and small goals, but I find all my big goals end up being broken down into smaller goals anyway.
It’s super easy to sit down and say “I want to make £50,000 with my blog by the end of the year” without any real intentions or plans as to how to get there, but in reality, to reach this kind of mammoth goal, you need to put careful planning in to place as to what you’re going to do every week and month to get there…
It’s often the smaller goals that lead you to reach the bigger goals in the first place, so that’s why it’s super important to think big with your goals and then break them down into smaller, more manageable steps.
This is also for your own sanity too!
Can you imagine setting a goal that you want to reach – a BIG goal, yet it just looks so darn hard to reach all on its own…
Using the £50k example above, mentally just thinking about it would make your head hurt because that’s a lot of money for your blog to make!
Of course, it’s absolutely possible – but you need to take these big goals and break them down into smaller goals and action plans, to help you reach them.
One of my smaller goals for this year is to write and put out even more helpful blog posts.
Although I published a lot of posts in 2022, it wasn’t anywhere near where I wanted to be, so that’s a high priority this year, as I have a lot of awesome blogging things I want to talk about and share.
I also want to create and sell my own digital product too.
I’ve recommended and sold products and courses that I love, from people I trust, through affiliate marketing, but I have so much blogging knowledge and ideas, I really want to finally create something awesome to put out there myself, and I want 2023 to be the year I do that.
I’m therefore going to put a plan of action into place as to how I’m going to achieve these and break it all down into simple and easy steps!
Why you need to set Personal Goals + Blog Goals
Setting goals isn’t just for your blog (although you definitely, want blog goals, that’s for sure) it’s also about goals for you personally.
All areas of your life deserve to have goals set so that you can work towards ALL the things you want in life!
Some of the goals I set are to do with wellness – this year I want to feel more energised and have more of a spring in my step because I do feel a bit meh lately.
I’ve set myself the goal of working out 3 times a week, as last year I said I was going to work out every day and I was nowhere near hitting this, leaving me feeling like such a failure.
I don’t want to do this in 2023, and I’d rather set myself a more realistic exercise goal, that I know I can reach.
I also have goals as a Mum too – I want to spend more quality time with my boys, as they’re growing up so fast, and I also want to stop feeling guilty when I spend time doing something for myself, things such as self-care or spending an hour reading my book.
We all know how important it is to have time to ourselves, and sometimes, it’s just about managing our time better, because as mums, we have a lot taken out of us.
Why Goal setting is important for Success
Success doesn’t come without planning and to make your dreams come true, you need to set goals and commit to them.
Goals hold you accountable, keep you focused and move you in the right direction, so whatever you’re setting out to do, set a goal for it…
Break the big goal into smaller goals and take action on these daily, weekly and monthly!
Make it as simple and as easy as possible to reach, and break things down to make them more manageable and less overwhelming.
For example, if you’re wanting to create a product (one of my goals this year) this can cause your brain to go into overdrive when you just say “I want to create a course”.
From the off, the thought of creating a full-on course can seem almost impossible and give you the “where do I even start” vibe…
Breaking this down into smaller goals will make it so much simpler to achieve, and you can put a plan of action in place to hit each and every step that course creation requires, such as:
Brainstorm ideas on what you’d like to create
Carry out extensive research to see whether your ideas will hold up and be received well. You can test out your idea with your email list or a select few people.
Outline your course. What are you going to teach and talk about in each module and how can you break this down in the simplest form for your customers and audience?
What tools do you need to actually create your course and bring it to life?
You can see above how I’ve put some of the different moving parts that are needed to start creating a course.
Obviously, there’s a lot more steps needed in course creation, but I just wanted to give a brief example of how you can take a big goal and split it into smaller, digestible elements.
Doesn’t this look a lot more achievable as they’re small actions that can be done weekly, pushing you further towards your end goal of creating a course…
When it comes to reaching any kind of goal, the problem for most isn’t the goal setting itself, it’s the not following through on the goals that have been set!
Goal setting changes your mindset completely and puts you in the frame of mind of being able to achieve anything.
That’s why it’s so important…
Goal Setting Basics + How to put it all into Action
If you’re still with me, then you’re probably wanting to know how you can actually set some goals, so below are some goal-setting basics…
Check them out and get started on your goal-crushing journey, because you’ve got big things to achieve mama 🙂
Jot down all your goal ideas, either on your phone, computer or just grab a pen and paper
The key to this exercise is to not overthink anything!
You want to just sit down and let all the ideas flow from your mind.
Take some time and just really think about what it is you want to achieve and get out of this next year and even beyond.
Dream big too lovely, as the fab thing about this strategy is to go for it and write down (or type) the most out-there and far-fetched things you want…
They may seem far-fetched now, but the big, big dreams can become a reality if you break them down to attain the end results.
Look at what it is you want to achieve in each area of your Life
As I mentioned above, I set goals for all areas of my life, which usually fall into the following categories:
Health, Wellness + Self-Care
Being a Mummy
Blogging
Financial
Fun
I take a look at each of these areas and write down a few things for each that I want to achieve.
For example, under the “Fun” category, I jot things down like what holiday I’d like to go on that year, what kind of days out I want to do with the kids, what date night/date weekends I want to do with my husband etc…
Breaking my life down into relevant categories makes the goal-setting process so much easier, and means I don’t miss out on any area of my life.
Break Big Goals down into Smaller Goals
As I’ve gone on and on about throughout this post, breaking big goals down into smaller goals is crucial.
To be successful with any kind of goal you set yourself, they need to be broken down into small, actionable steps.
Small actions are easier to complete and better on the mindset, plus they’re also a way of giving you lots of small wins along the way, which keep you feeling good and enthusiastic along the road to the end result (the big goal).
Take a look at your big goals and see how you can break them down into manageable actions that you can carry out daily, weekly and monthly.
What do you need to do to achieve each of your Goals?
Next up is looking at all the things you need to do to achieve each of your goals.
Taking a look at all the elements and parts required to reach that final end goal is what will make it happen!
You need to look at everything you need to do to get from A to B and then put a plan in place that fits in with you and your family/lifestyle, to make sure you’ll stick to it.
Making it overly complicated and adding in too much in too short a space of time, will just result in you not completing each and every task…
You have to bear in mind you’re a mum, that you have a life and that things always come up that are unexpected and out of the blue!
So let’s take a look now using an example:
If your end goal is to become more toned and energised by the end of the year, what would you need to do and incorporate to get there?
Here’s an example of the things you could do and break down into actionable steps to reach this goal:
Workout 3-4 times a week
Choose a mixture of strength, cardio/HIIT and yoga exercises
Eat a well-balanced and healthy diet
Get 8 hours of sleep a night
Drink plenty of water
Get an Accountability partner
Using this example, you can then create a plan in order to make it happen and get the toned, energised body you want.
You could set it up so that one day of the week you do a strength workout, then another day you do a HIIT workout and then on the third day, you do a yoga workout…
You can then set reminders every week to do the workouts. I set reminders on my phone all the time!
You could create a meal plan to make sure you stay on track with eating healthy meals and you could also include a water chart, so you can check off how many glasses of water you’re drinking a day.
Having a visual of what it is you’re doing will really help you to stay on track and stick to your routine.
How long is your Goal?
Once you’ve broken down the actions you need to take to reach your end goal, it’s time to look at how long your overall goal is going to actually take.
Is it a quick-win goal which can be reached in a couple of months, or is it a big goal which is going to take the entire year or beyond to achieve?
You need to be realistic here and make sure you’re giving yourself ample time for each goal to be achieved.
Don’t rush things!
There’s no point saying you want to get super toned within a month, as more than likely that ain’t going to happen…
A proper fitness regime will probably be one of the goals which take a good 6+ months to get into…
Another thing you need to do is set yourself up with an End Date for your goals!
Goals with no timeframe are just asking for trouble and you’ve nothing to hold yourself accountable for.
Specific timescales will help you to hit targets and milestones you set to get to the end goal.
Setting daily, weekly and monthly actions will be the best way to keep on top of your goals.
Doing something little and often is much better than trying to cram everything into one month etc…
You need to make sure you assess the goal properly and give it what you think is the right time frame to reach it.
Don’t worry though as you can always reassess it at a later date.
Review your Goals Regularly
This leads me to talk about reviewing your goals.
You definitely don’t want to be setting and forgetting them.
Goals need to be revisited often (maybe every month) in order to keep an eye on your progress and to see whether your time frame needs to be readjusted in any way.
This gives you a chance to re-jig things if needed, to make sure you hit your goals.
You’ll always need to do some tweaking with your goals’ timescales as you won’t really know how things are panning out until you’re actually in the thick of it, taking the action…
Checking in with yourself regularly is a MUST when it comes to setting goals and intentions, as you need to continue to stay on track with what you’re working towards!
Looking at what you’ve achieved so far will keep you in the loop and allow you to keep on top of what’s still left to achieve.
Reward yourself along the Goal Setting Journey
This is a massive MUST in my book and keeps me enthusiastic, and focused and also makes it fun.
If something’s fun, you’re much more likely to stick with it, therefore giving yourself rewards along your goal journey can help massively.
I like to celebrate small wins when I reach a target or milestone.
This could be something such as going for dinner midweek, catching up for coffee and cake with my bestie or treating myself to a massage or beauty treatment.
It doesn’t even need to be anything that costs money.
It could be as simple as asking your partner to put the kids to bed so you can relax in the bath, or take an extra long walk in the fresh air and sunshine – giving yourself some “you” time…
So make sure you celebrate along the way to keep yourself motivated and the positivity up!
Why a Vision Board will do Wonders
For me, having something visual to look at and see all the time definitely keeps me on the straight and narrow.
Making a vision board can do wonders and you can do this in many ways.
You can create a desktop wallpaper vision board using something like Canva, and have it as your desktop wallpaper and screensaver.
Every time you switch your computer on – it will be there to remind you of all your goals!
You could also have your goals written down and stuck to your fridge, mirror, computer etc, so they’ll always be top of mind, as you’re constantly reminded of them as you walk around your house.
You could have a picture of a house, garden or something to visually remind you of your goal within your purse, so you’re also carrying the reminder around with you.
Every time you look at your visuals, it will be a reminder to keep moving forward and continue to reach your goals…
How to Set Goals Without Anxiety
It’s really important when you’re setting your goals, that you do a few things in order to make it less daunting for you.
As mums, we can often feel like everything gets on top of us, because we have so much to do and think about all the time, so we don’t want to pile any more onto our plates while setting goals.
Goal setting is good for you because it can bring structure into your life and gives you a path to follow, to reach destinations for the things you want in life.
But it can also bring overwhelm and anxiety too if you’re constantly losing track because this can bring feelings of failure.
That’s why I wanted to share with you a few things you can do to make sure you’re able to set goals without feeling pressure, and to also ensure it’s fun too…
So let’s look at how you can set goals the BEST way possible:
Be clear and concise with what it is you want to achieve.
Write every part of the goal down in detail so you have a clear picture of the goal as a whole.
Make sure the goals you’re setting aren’t so unattainable, otherwise you’re starting off on an already rocky road mentally.
Don’t stress or fret if you’re not reaching your targets or steps along the way. Just take a breather, give it a day or two to reflect and then get back to it. It happens mama…
Break your goals down, so they’re more manageable to achieve.
Don’t go “goal setting mad” and have too many goals set in a short space of time. Be super realistic in what you’re able to do in the year.
Factor in family/kids and work etc… Do this and you’re not setting yourself up to fail!
Remember – there’s always next year and depending on your goal, sometimes your timing may have been a bit too enthusiastic, so stick with it and extend the timeframe (as long as it’s not just getting brushed to the wayside).
Let’s wrap it up!
That brings me to the end of this post and I have to say, while writing it, it’s really helped me reset my thoughts on goal setting, and it’s made me more aware of the little things I can do to make it simpler and easier…
Sometimes it takes sharing tips and valuable info with others, to make yourself see how you can make things better in your own life!
So before we go, let’s do a quick recap of why setting smart goals & intentions for the new year is a must…
Setting goals makes you feel positive and keeps you motivated and focused.
You should always include big and small goals for the year.
Goals shouldn’t just be about work. Personal goals are also extremely important too.
Planning is the key to success with reaching your goals, so plan everything out.
Brain dump all your goal ideas – no goal is too BIG!
Look at all the areas in your life you want to achieve things in.
Look at what each goal needs you to do and break the big goals down into small, manageable steps and actions.
Be realistic about how long each goal is going to take to reach the end result!
Continually review your goals monthly or quarterly etc…
Create a vision board or have some kind of visual reminder of the goals you set.
Reward yourself for all the small wins along the way.
