How to create and accomplish goals by setting yourself up for success

I’m a user experience designer by trade, but my greatest design project is my life. I actively create and guide it through setting goals and continually learning. Each year I plan out my annual goals, and I accomplish them through hard work, perseverance, and breaking them down into manageable chunks. I don’t set flimsy resolutions; I make an actionable list that has steps laid out for how to accomplish each goal.

My word of focus for 2015 is “Maintain,” and many of my goals are to develop long-lasting habits that become an essential and routine part of my life. Those habits include working out, writing, and keeping my house clean (which I’ve rarely accomplished in the past). Some of my other goals for this year include running a 5K, traveling internationally, taking lessons in cello and horseback riding, and speaking at conferences. I’d like to share with you how I set myself up for success, and give you some tools to help you start designing your life.

Accomplishing Goals

These goals all begin with the motivation for self-improvement. You need the ambition and drive to help keep you moving in the right direction.You are the only person who has the power to change your own behaviors, and you need to dedicate yourself to this mindset.

If part of your goal to lose weight is the action of not eating sweets on weekdays, then take a black and white approach. If someone offers you a cookie, your rule precludes your eating it, making it easy to say no (even though it may seem tempting). My biggest motivators are being healthier in body and making time to learn and create, which are my favorite pastimes.

You need the ambition and drive to help keep you moving in the right direction.

Goal Setting

Once you’re ready to dedicate yourself to setting and accomplishing goals, there are a few different ways to start out. The first is to plan your goals for the entire year or for a set amount of time. You don’t need to wait for the new year to get started; you can plan whatever is left of your current year or month. The benefit of setting goals for a set time is the deadline it provides. This method is my favorite, and I’ve been following Chris Guillbeau’s Annual Review method of planning for the past few years.

Another way of setting goals is similar to a “bucket list.” You think of what you want to accomplish before you die and then set goals that allow you to work towards those bigger ideas. Thinking through big goals and making them into smaller, manageable chunks allows us to accomplish huge things without getting overwhelmed.The downside of this method is that we don’t often feel how short our lives are, and you might not work towards these goals if there’s no hard deadline attached. The benefit is thinking through what your priorities are in life and giving yourself permission to dream big with no limits. I find it most useful to have a small list of big life goals, refer to it while I’m planning my annual goals, and create a few small goals for the year that will get me closer to that large goal.

Thinking through big goals and making them into smaller, manageable chunks allows us to accomplish huge things without getting overwhelmed.

You can also go the opposite way by making small changes that will later build into larger goals. For example, by starting to run more, you know that will allow you to accomplish many different goals in the future, like running a 5K or a marathon. You might not need to write down which large goal this is going towards, and just start running.

Try a few goal-building exercises and see which one fits you best. Each individual plans in different ways and is motivated by different things. As long as you know what you want and are dedicated to it, your goal method is successful. Once you have personal motivation and your goals planned in some way, it is much easier to accomplish these goals with help from the structures you make, the people you surround yourself with, and how you set up your environment.

Structure

A structure I created to support this year’s goals is waking up earlier to give myself extra time. I began the year by waking up 30 minutes early and quitting the snooze button cold turkey, and I use that time to do a workout video or write. An added benefit is that the house is quiet, and I get some personal time. This structure helps with at least two habits I’m building of writing and working out, but it also supports my other goals of running a 5k (by getting into shape), posting one blog a month (what you’re reading now!), and getting two articles published by the end of the year. After the initial 30 minutes becomes a normalized habit, I’ll be able to dial back my alarm clock every month to continue giving me more time for running and writing.

Think of what kinds of structures you need to create to accomplish your goals. What’s holding you back the most, or how do you usually derail yourself? For me, my lack of time was preventing me from starting, so I created time. You might need to find a gym close to work to motivate you to go during lunch or right after work. Or you might create a month-long meal plan to help you think through what you’ll eat every day. You can also create a roadmap of your larger goals and figure out all the small steps it will take to accomplish it. Breaking down large goals into actionable steps allows you to be comfortable while still making progress.

People

The people you surround yourself with are immensely important. It’s crucial to have a positive, supportive group, and to have friends that are energy positive rather than energy draining or toxic.My husband acts as a wonderful support and helps me to dream big and set large goals.

I also have an accountability buddy to help me stay on track. We Skype every two weeks, review how we did on our previous goals and set new goals for the following two weeks. These weekly goals are around specific workouts, eating well, and meditation, and they all support my larger annual goals. We have a great balance of support, pressure, and results, and knowing that I’ll talk to her about my exercising motivates me to work out more often.

Another friendship acts as a mutual motivation to take big risks. After I moved from the Midwest to New York City, and successfully completed grad school, my friend was inspired to be more open to large moves. She and her husband moved from Indiana to San Francisco shortly after and are thriving there. We inspire each other to try new things, and I always leave our conversations brimming with energy.

It’s crucial to have a positive, supportive group, and to have friends that are energy positive rather than energy draining or toxic.

Who in your life naturally motivates you? Whenever you talk with this person, the conversation flows and you leave filled with energy and thousands of ideas. Ask this friend to be your accountabili-buddy. Set up a bi-weekly or monthly check-in over coffee or Skype. Start small with your goals, bagging a few successes early on. After a few meetings, increase the difficulty level and take on something outside your comfort zone. If you’re in the same town, your buddy can also participate with you, going to the gym together or helping to prepare healthy lunches for the week.

Environment

Your environment is another area that you can set up for success. One of my goals is to have a clean house, and instead of using up my entire weekend, I clean up a little every time I leave a room, and a lot right before I go to sleep. By tackling small pieces of cleaning, and seeing part my house clean, I’m motivated to keep the rest of the house clean.

It’s also important to clean out your kitchen of any foods that don’t fit your new diet and make it easy to access the cooking pans if you want to cook more. I moved my cello from my office to the living room so that I can easily get to it. The phrase “out of sight, out of mind” works both ways, so put the things you want to do in your line of sight, and hide away or throw out the things that aren’t part of or work against your goals.

Think about how your home or office is supporting or fighting your goals. Do you use the treadmill as a coat rack? Are the workout DVDs buried in the back of the bookcase? Do you have a stash of cookies at your work desk? Make it easier to do your tasks, and you’ll do it without thinking. I pull out my workout gear at night so that it’s easy to automatically put on in the morning (especially before coffee!) Arrange your home to support you, and it will be easier to accomplish your goals.

Put the things you want to do in your line of sight, and hide away or throw out the things that aren’t part of or work against your goals.

Tools to Help

There are many different tools that can help you work towards your goals. The first that I use is a spreadsheet to keep track of my goals and deadlines, using Chris Guillbeau’s annual review form.I work through my annual review in December and decide which goals I’d like to tackle for the next year. I check in about once a month to make sure I’m on track, and I add additional goals as I want to throughout the year.

I’ve also created my own support materials including a paper calendar and a “habit journal.” Neither was very successful. I would forget to write in it for a few days, and couldn’t remember what I had eaten, worked out, or done. I haven’t tried many apps, just Balanced which wasn’t helpful. I strongly dislike notifications or reminders from apps, especially when it takes a shaming or guilting tone about not checking in. However, any of these tools might work well for you. You’ll have to try out a few to get a good feel for what motivates you and what best supports your goals.

What works best for me is to create a routine around my habits and goals, my structure of waking up early, and then I already know if I’ve accomplished my goals or not for the week. I also schedule time into my calendar for these routines, and that tool has been the most helpful in maintaining them.

Start Designing

Goals are not just another word for resolutions, and they don’t have to be created only in January. You can create goals for yourself at any time, and as you complete them, add more. They are a proven way to make very real progress towards your dreams. Don’t limit yourself to small goals; really think through what you’d like to accomplish with you life and then break that down into actionable steps you can take now. Just like training for a marathon, you have to work your way through many small goals, building up stamina and support, in order to prepare yourself to tackle big goals.

Dig in deep to find that motivation for change and self-improvement. Dedicate yourself to accomplish these goals. And remember to create the structures you need, find people to support you, and set up your environment for optimal success.

An added benefit of goal planning is an increased sense of self-empowerment and self-efficacy. You have control over your life and you can make changes and improve yourself, designing your ideal life as you go. And in doing so, you can inspire others to do the same. This is your one precious, short life; what would you like to do with it?