I didn’t use to set weekly goals.
I used to only create annual goals, early in the year, and then didn’t engage in any kind of activity for goal setting after that. Eventually, I added monthly goal setting to my practice and that was helpful.
Even after the addition of monthly goals, I noticed I was running into two major problems: (1) I wasn’t getting specific enough about my weekly intentions and actions and (2) I would often forget about my bigger yearly goals.
So I recently decided to adopt a weekly goal setting practice. Read below or watch this video in which I explain my process.
Why bother with a weekly activity for goal setting?
It helps me stay in touch with my annual goals
Weekly goal setting means I revisit my annual goals all the time. I need to interact with them regularly in order to determine how my weekly and daily choices can support these. Gone are the days of writing out my annual goals in a pretty notebook and then trying to remember where I put the list when I decided to revisit them at the end of the year!
It helps me think through how I will reach my goals
Engaging in a weekly activity for goal setting means I need to get specific about my actions and realistic about the process involved in reaching my goals. I’m all for big goals…but sometimes the reality of making these comes true doesn’t quite fit with the amount of energy, time and other resources I actually have.
It helps me ensure I am in integrity with my values.
Being in integrity is important to me. I won’t pursue my goals if my integrity is compromised. For example, if pursuing a goal means I would have to neglect my family, I will modify the goal so I can be the kind of family member (mother, spouse, daughter) I strive to be.
4 prompt activity for weekly goal setting
There are 4 prompts I respond to when doing weekly goal setting:
- What are my goals for the week?
- What is my confidence in reaching those goals (on a scale of 1-10)?
- Why did I assign that (confidence) number to meeting those goals?
- What would help me raise that number to(wards) a 10?
I do this activity on the weekend and record my responses in a Google document. I then revisit my weekly goals during the week (I put a reminder in my calendar mid-week) and also evaluate these goals.
Final thoughts
I will be honest: I don’t love doing weekly goal setting. I find it useful, YES! And I’m committed to it. I also believe I’ll grow into liking it more. But, at present the part I struggle with is adding goals that I am having trouble meeting because I tend to get discouraged when I don’t meet them. When I add them to my list, week after week, it requires me to hold belief that I will, eventually, be able to meet these goals or come close. As such my “not yet lovin’ this” is tied to the emotional aspects of this activity for goal setting.
Believing you can meet your goals
Setting goals is easy. Following through, however, can be more challenging–especially when your own belief in being able to achieve your goals is fragile or weak. When you work with a coach, they hold that belief for you when it feels hard to do that yourself! This allows you to go for your goals.
Contact me for a complimentary consultation today to find out how I can support you in leading the life you want: isabeauiqbal.com/contact
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