It’s no secret that I love a fresh start to the new year. I’m all about that new year, new me lifestyle. It’s not for everyone but if like me, that’s the kind of kick-start to 2019 you’re after then keep reading.
This post can be applied at any time of the year. It’s not just for January. You can set new goals in the middle of the year, on a Monday morning or whenever the mood strikes.
Today I want to talk through the benefits of goal setting and why I think you should be setting goals for the year and/or month ahead. I personally always have a few big goals for the year. I then work backwards and break them down into monthly and weekly goals to ensure they’re achievable.
Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of setting goals.
8 Benefits of Setting Goals
Focus: Having long and short-term goals gives you something to laser focus on throughout the year. You can power all of your time and energy into hitting those goals which is much more pro-active than working hard without any end in site.
If like me you often get lots of new and exciting ideas then your goals should help to keep you in-line. As much as I love to start a new project I also love to hit and complete a goal.
Motivation: It’s much easier to stay motivated when you know what your end goal is. Try writing down your goals or word of the year to ensure you see them every day. I also like making a little graphic and setting it as a background on my phone.
Accountable: You have the option of sharing your goals for the year with friends, family or simply keeping them at the front of your diary. Seeing your goals everyday helps to keep you accountable and aware of your end goal.
As I always say, don’t talk about your dreams, set them as goals, break them down into smaller stepping stones and start working towards them. Here’s an old post I wrote about turning your dreams into goals.
Confidence: Focusing on your goals throughout the year, working hard and then finally achieving them will give you a real taste of success. In turn this will help you to build upon your self-confidence.
Decision making: It’s important to be able to make clear and solid decisions in all aspects of life. For example, if you’re saving towards a new blog theme or holiday then you know to think twice before buying bougie clothes or going out for drinks.
Purpose: Setting goals, no matter how small or big will help you to define your purpose for the year ahead. Working out where you want to be by the end of the year or month can help you to set SMART goals and then work your way backwards so you know what steps you need to take.
Vision: A clear vision for the year ahead helps to eliminate distractions, avoid procrastination and keep you disciplined.
Productivity: By having a clear set of goals to work towards throughout the year you always know your end goal. There’s always something you can be doing to get closer to your goals.