How To Achieve Your Goals | Atlanta Photographer
Have you ever set a goal so big that it was intimidating to even dream of achieving? If the answer is no, many would say you’re not setting your goals high enough. But the thing about intimidating goals is that sometimes they can be so overwhelming that you can’t even think of how to begin to go for them.
I was listening to Nicaila Okome’s Side Hustle Pro podcast episode about the system that she uses to break down and achieve her major goals piece by piece. It’s basically her twist on the S.M.A.R.T. method of goal-setting. If you’re interested in listening to the episode I’ll be linking it at the bottom of this post. For anyone who isn’t familiar with the S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting method, this is how it breaks down:
You want to set goals that are S.M.A.R.T., which stands for
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-bound
Nicaila takes this method a step further and used her twist on it to achieve financial success with her podcast. Heads up: while I was listening to her podcast episode I took notes. YES, the episode is that good that I sat down, pulled out my notebook and pen, and took notes that I could look back on and reference. So when you check out the episode you might want to have your own note-taking supplies ready to go.
Nicole’s specific method breaks down as follows:
Instead of setting goals for the entire year at once, break you year down into 90 day segments. Then jot down all of the things you want to do in the next 90 days. This is to avoid getting overwhelmed at the thought of crafting your whole year in one sit-down. Instead you’re aiming to break your year down into digestible pieces.
Once you’ve identified all of your goals for the next 90 days, narrow it down to your top 3 and hone in on those. Prioritize your goals and set to accomplish the most pertinent ones first.
Next write down 3-4 actionable steps per goal. This ensures you’ll take steps that will actually help you move closer toward achieving your goals.
Within your 90 day segments, set a theme for each month. This will help you make sure your action steps all align with your overall goal.
Schedule specific times on your calendar when you will work on each action item. This ensures that you carve out time to cross steps off of your list that will bring you closer to your ultimate goal.
An important to-do: identify your mental blocks and decide on what action will help you break through them. Mental blocks will hold you back from achieving your goals, so take the time to actively work towards overcoming those.
And that’s her method! I love that it not only encourages you to set big goals, but then gives you a toolset on how to break them down into bite-size, achievable pieces that won’t overwhelm you. My accountability partner Lynette and I had our first meeting of the year and I explained this method to her. She was totally on board so we got to work outlining out business goals for the next 90 days, writing down our actionable steps for each, and setting aside specific times on our calendars to work on these steps.
Although I have business goals I want to achieve in 2019, I also have personal goals I want to work towards and I thought it would be fun to share one of those and break down my steps to achieve it in this post.
One of my biggest personal goals in the next 90 days is to establish a morning routine.
Your morning is your start to the day and oftentimes sets the tone for how your day is going to go. So not having a set morning routine leads me to feel a bit all over the place for the rest of the day.
My theme for January is “re-building” and this goal definitely falls within that theme. 2018 was a very humbling year that broke me down quite a bit, so 2019 is about re-building a solid foundation for myself to achieve my goals in 2019. And technically, my mornings are the foundation for the rest of the day. Starting off my days with a strong morning routine sets me up to be more productive and focused throughout the day.
My actionable steps to achieve a morning routine are:
Go to bed by 11 PM every night so I can wake up earlier
Wake up at 7 AM (possibly earlier later down the road)
Set my specific activities and how long I want to do each for (this is my version of carving out specific time on my calendar as to when these actions will happen)
for example, my ideal routine looks like this: gratitude journaling for 5 mins, then stretch while listening to gentle music for 5 minutes, drink a cup of tea & read for 15 mins, pray (for however long I need to talk with God), breakfast, shower while listening to a podcast, then finish off with my skin care routine
Decide on a date to start (1/14)
After a month of incorporating this morning routine I’ll assess how my new routine feels and if it’s made a difference in my productivity levels throughout the day.
I definitely think Nicaila’s 90 day method will help me immensely with achieving goals both personally and professionally. It will give me clarity as to not only what my specific goals are but also as to how exactly I’m going to achieve them. I believe her podcast was about more than just dealing with goal-setting. It’s about tackling big things in your life and overcoming them bit by bit in a way that makes sense versus succumbing to how overwhelming it all feels sometimes.
If you’d like to take a listen to the podcast episode (titled The Simple System That Turned My Podcast Into A 6-Figure Business), you can check it out >>HERE<<. If you have a side hustle you’re looking to turn profitable, I’d highly recommend you check out her podcast on a regular basis for helpful tips and insightful interviews.
So what personal goals are you guys setting for the next 90 days? Sound off below in the comments or drop a comment on Instagram and share! I’d love to keep each other motivated and feeling accountable to achieve our goals over the next 90 days.
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