I am often asked how I manage being so busy. I am a firm believer in the phrase "Busy is good!". However in order to remain in harmony with ourselves and the people, places and things we love, we should be mindful to remain busy with tasks that help us achieve our absolute best self. I use the Self Journal by Best Self Co. to help me plan for success. It's a journal and planner in one! Click any of the links or photos on this page to trial free page downloads from the Self Journal by Best Self Co.
Confession: By nature I am a planner. For example, this blog is inspired by a decision I made in 2018 to challenge myself to step outside of the box in committing to my passions, all of them. Once I committed to executing the idea, I immediately started to plan. Listed below are the steps that I took in order to achieve my goal. I hope you can use these on your 2019 journey for whatever goals you are set to achieve. Happy planning!
Write it down:
When creating any goal you should make sure that this goal aligns with the Vision and Mission you have set for your life thus far (more on this below). Also, once you have decided on your goal, you'll need a place to write it down and document your progress. The Self Journal by Best Self Co. has been perfect for me. One journal is broken down for 13 weeks of daily, weekly and monthly planning. Scientific studies show that goals planned out over 13 weeks are more likely to be achieved. Since the time period allows for the achievement point to be close enough to see yet far off enough to make us work for it. I go through about 5 of these journals a year. I love that there is is allotted space for daily reflections, such as the three biggest wins of the week or that happiest event of the week. This strategically helps you document what you enjoy most so you can build more of it in your day. Also, there is space allotted for habit tracking and weekly milestones. This journal has a quality cover that will last decades after you've crushed your goals and will look great on your bookshelf!
Aligning your goals:
Once I received my journal I started by writing down my Vision and Mission to remind myself on a daily basis of what achieving my goals would mean in the grand scheme of things. You should create an overall vision statement every 5 years. Essentially it states what you would like to do in the future. A mission statement should be created every year and align with your vision. Finally, your goals, while aligning with your vision and mission, should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.
So my vision, mission and goal statements for this project was something like this:
Vision: Achieve desired professional goals while still enjoying favorite activities, spending time with those I love and meeting new people who share my hobbies.
Mission: To stay in shape while doing something I love and connecting with new people and places.
Goal: Run one 5k/10k, in a different city while meeting one new friend while also reading one book per month (Yes, using the app Audible counts!).
Planning:
My next step was to plan each run location and book title per month.
First, I made a budget so I would know my total allotted resources.
Then, I spent some time researching the cities that my loved ones and I were interested in visiting during the year. I made sure to take advantage of locations where I could also spend time with distant relatives and friends during special holidays and/events.
Next I researched what runs were available in those cities during the time I planned to travel there.
Once plans were solidified, I made every effort to register for each run and book each flight/accommodation at that point in time. Yes, that means it all was planned and booked before the end of January 2018!
Execution:
Since the entire schedule was finished in January, execution was the easiest part. We just had to show up! That's it! The planning phase gives you the opportunity to create deadlines for yourself. Then, all you have to do is meet those daily/weekly/monthly deadlines. In my Self Journal by Best Self Co. I planned weekly practices runs to help me perform my best on "game day". and scheduled my reading time.
Accountability:
When setting goals it's also important to build-in accountability partners. For example, I shared my schedule with my close family and friends to invite them along while also making them aware of my goals. That way, they were bound to ask me about my progress throughout the year making it less likely for me to abandon the idea. Also, I have you all! I created this blog to keep my friends and family up to date on my progress, meet new friends with similar interests and share recommendations inherently keeping me accountable for following through!
What are you planning for 2019? Tell me about it anywhere on social media, I'd love to hear it! Remember, you can click any of the links or photos on this post for a free trial page downloaded from Self Journal by Best Self Co.
I wish you the best of luck in 2019 on your journey of becoming your Best Self!
XOXOXOXX