How do you stay centered around your goals?
Do you often find yourself neglecting your goals in life? Sometimes you get busy, offtrack, distracted, and let the days escape you. Then, you may slowly bring you attention back. Something might even grab your attention and remind you of the goals you set. Suddenly, you get all psyched and make a little progress. Once more, you find yourself drifting. This continuous cycle repeats itself over and over, dragging on and on. Making you consider that your goals are unachievable.
All the research completed on goal success vs. failure points to one thing. Not committing them to writing. Consider these three simple goal setting tools that are fun, convenient, simple to use and keep your focus.
Steve Maraboli said in Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience, “If you have a goal, write it down. If you do not write it down, you do not have a goal – you have a wish.”
Pen and Paper Still Get Things Done!
When you actually use pen and paper you get focused.
- Studies have demonstrated writing activates more parts of the brain than typing. Researchers tested a group and found those who committed to writing were more selective of information they put down and remembered even more than those who typed everything they seen or heard.
- Committing to paper your goals reinforces them. Not only are you thinking them, you are writing them and seeing them. You are taking your vision and making it something you can see and touch. It takes on a definite form.
- You can review your goals regularly in your favorite moleskin or notebook that you carry. Hang your goals on the wall where you will see them everyday and keep them within your focus.
Need Some Motivation?
Lift is a community support based goal and habit tracking application. If you need a little push or encouragement, Lift has what you need.
- The application was the first that I used for goal setting and tracking. Specialized on the B=MAT theory (Behavior=Motivation, Ability, Triggers), Lift has creative plans, so you wont need to put much effort in.
- Lift also has an algorithmic reminder, which doesn’t harass you. Rather than reminding you each day and you build a habit of ignoring it. The algorithmic begins to delay the reminder after the first time you ignore it and keeps stretching out the more you snooze.
- Lift is a positive community based on support. You receive comments and props, which give you that needed reward (praise or encouragement) so you crave it and repeat it the next day.
Need Something Measurable?
Strides is a flexible application that allows you to easily track anything and provides beautiful charts on your progress.
- I currently use Strides to track all my goals. Strides boast over 300 ideas and formatted for SMART goal setting.
- Its re-occurring reminders and beautiful graphs keep you motivated and craving more. I love the ability to see graphs and data. I’m addicted to the figures, averages, percentages and charts.
- Strides utilizes four types of goal trackers; targets, habits, milestones and averages. The trackers can be measured in several different types of units and time-spans. The trackers are surprisingly flexible in their ability to measure.
Author Karen Lamb said, “A year from now you may wish you had started today.”
Don’t permit yourself to become separated from accomplishing your goals. Pick one of these three goal setting tools which are entertaining, convenient, simple to use and hold your focus. Break the cycle and improve your success rate by simply committing them to writing and tracking progress.
What goal setting and tracking methods do you use? Please leave your comment below.