To achieve or not to achieve…that is the question

Whilst many people set themselves goals at the start of a new year, great goals can and should be set at the right time.  Here are our hot tips on aiming for and hitting your targets.

Be both specific and realistic
It goes without saying that if you aren’t being detailed enough in your description of what you want to achieve, then you’re less likely to be able to achieve it. Being realistic is of utmost importance too though and if you’re setting yourself goals that simply aren’t ‘doable’ then guess what? Yep! It just won’t happen.

Plan time to achieve your goals
It may sound obvious but if you don’t put time aside then you won’t succeed in achieving your goals. Plan an adequate amount of time at the right time of day and book it into your diary on a regular basis. A well thought out diary with specific tasks rather than a scruffy to-do-list is far more likely to get you from A to Z.

Be positive
Using positive terminology and avoiding the negative is a sure-fire way of getting what you want. Motivate yourself by taking a positive approach – ‘I will eat healthily and exercise 3 times a week’ is far better than ‘I need to lose weight…

Keeping track
Do what you can to stick to your plan and keep a track of how it’s going. There will always be something to distract you and throw you off course however, plan to do these things at another time and give yourself a pat on the back for doing so. Being honest when reviewing what has worked and what hasn’t will help to make the journey easier.

Apply the lessons you’ve learnt
When things go wrong, we have more of a tendency to give up however, learn from the lessons along the way and you’ll be one step closer to success. If the timetable that you’ve set yourself isn’t working then adjust it. If your goal isn’t specific enough then re-write it. Failing is something we can learn from rather than it pushing us towards giving up.

Don’t overdo it
Setting too many goals or too few goals isn’t wise. Wearing yourself out or becoming bored won’t help you to achieve what matters. Remember the hare and the tortoise? Taking things at a steady pace and breaking each stage down into bite-size and achievable chunks will stand you in good stead.