For Parents
18/09/2023
Setting goals is one area where more is more – within reason, of course. It’s not helpful to set a broad goal like ‘Be healthier’ or ‘Be more productive’, because these kinds of goals are too vague (and therefore, unachievable). You’re setting yourself up for failure before you’ve even started. Try breaking your goals down into separate aspects like work, health, family, your partner and finances to make them more manageable.
Everyone wants to win the lottery or go on a months-long holiday in Italy, but that’s probably highly unlikely (or even not possible). Instead, set realistic goals that you can actually achieve with hard work and commitment, and you’ll receive that all-important dopamine hit that comes with accomplishing something. If you want your goals to come true, evaluate your life right now and consider what you really desire out of the year ahead.
In the same way that saying you’ll ‘be more productive’ is too broad, goals like this are also not measurable. Therefore, it’s harder to work towards and eventually achieve them. Instead, turn your goal into a habit by breaking it down into smaller daily tasks – this could mean doing 15 minutes of exercise (bumping it up to 30 or 45 as you get fitter) or reaching out to one new business contact every week.
Everybody makes mistakes, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you slip up. Goals aren’t achieved overnight so one day here and there won’t make or break your eventual achievement. When you do slip up, think about what caused it and think about how you can avoid or mitigate those things moving forward. Also, remember to celebrate the small achievements you do make – studies show that praise can be a more effective motivational tool than punishment.
