Some tools for setting and achieving your 2019 goals
Planners
This holiday I gave myself a Passion Planner, intending to use a new tool for navigating 2019. I also gave these to several of my friends; I was excited about the fact that the company is a give one-get one company, and that they offer all of their tools as PDFs – you don’t even have to buy one of the planners. Something about giving away stuff for free makes me want to support the cause even more.
After reviewing my highlights, disappointments, game changers, foci and forgotten things (see previous post), I determined my new intentions for 2019: to build and strengthen social connections; to cultivate more healthy habits; and to move toward greater alignment between my passions, my contributions, and my work in the world.
One of the tools suggested by the Passion Planner creator is mind-mapping. I’m not very practiced at mind-mapping, but in trying out the process yet again I begin to see its utility. I still struggle with establishing concrete, actionable steps (Yoda’s words “Do or do not; there is no try” surface in my mind), but working with mind mapping and SMART* goal setting, I can see where progress can be made. Creating new, small, and achievable habits – getting 2 hugs every day each week, for example – can move me in the right direction.
There are many new and great planners on the market – look around for one that suits your needs.
Challenges
Last September I challenged myself to make one new social connection every day for 4 weeks. It could be a brief conversation in the checkout line or a phone call to an old friend. The challenge helped me see my social anxieties in new ways, helped me recognize that other people want connection too – and made me less afraid to reach out and connect. Since strengthening my social connections is a 2019 goal, I may repeat my 4 week challenge (maybe in February, when I have fewer “new” tasks on my plate!).
There are so many different challenges out there, but just about anything that you can do that is SMALL, ACHIEVABLE, AND RELEVANT will help you accomplish your goal. There is something to the time-specific nature (I can do just about anything for 3 weeks!) that makes a challenge doable.
One that just came through my in-box is the edublogs 2019 challenge. I guess I’ll be making a few more posts this month!
WOOP
Another tool I’m using is WOOP. The acronym stands for wish, outcome, obstacle, plan. I will admit the acronym sounds a little hokey, but the tool is powerful and its benefits have been widely tested; WOOP is a mental training approach called mental contrasting with implementation intentions. If you haven’t heard of it, check out woopmylife.org to read more and view informational and instructional videos. Then try it out for yourself and let me know how it works for you.
*If you’re not familiar with SMART goals, it’s another acronym: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-sensitive. I’m sure if you Google it, you will find a lot of detailed information on how they work… I’m still working on them myself!
