Well, it’s that time of year again. That dastardly beginning when all, umm, some, umm, a few of us set goals for the coming year. I asked my husband, who is not a goal-setter, what his goal for 2019 was. It happened to be on his end-of-December birthday that I asked. He said “to make it to my next birthday.”
Sounds good to me. My goals tend to be more complicated. I’m a list-maker. I get that trait from my mother. And I’ve yet to meet a list-maker who doesn’t set goals at least annually.
Me, I set annual, weekly, and daily goals. Does that sound like a lot? Well, it kind of is. And maybe, at that daily level, it’s really just a to-do list. And I don’t always get everything done. What does happen, though, is that I get more done than I would if I were just winging it. That list keeps me grounded and moving. And it helps my anxiety. I don’t worry as much about forgetting something. Lol.
So yes. I have goals for 2019.
- I’d like to lose more weight.
- I hope to publish five stories this year.
- I plan to get out of the house more this year. (Though how I’m going to do that and still publish five stories is a bit of a mystery.)
- And I want to enjoy my family more this year.
Those are fairly vague, but that’s how I start my list and that’s what I post near my computer. Next, I drill down to specifics.
- How many days a week will I go to the gym?
- How many words do I have to write a day, or pages need edited each day?
- What trips can we take?
- And how can I include family in more of my activities, or be a bigger part of theirs?
From there, it’s the daily list. I only do a week at a time, and one of the things I’ve had to learn the hard way is that life gets in the way. A lot. 🙂 I have to be able to roll with it, and I’m working on that. But, daily lists help me complete those projects I tend to procrastinate on. Eventually, I get tired of bumping them to the next day, and the next, and the next. So I finish them to get them off my list. Lol.
Whether you’re a list-maker or not, or a goal-setter or not, I hope you had a safe and enjoyable entrance to this new year of possibilities. And I wish you a year filled with happiness and laughter.
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From a fellow list maker, love your goals. Like you my todo list gives me piece of mind that I won’t forget things. This mornings blog reminds me I need to get my 2019 goals going.
I’ve been working on my own goals for 2019 over the last couple of weeks. I’m getting better at taking my time doing that, so I can look at it from all angles and decide if they are feasible or if I don’t have a chance of getting them all done. Lol.
Way to go, you on all the lists! I love that you have the big object and then break it down to the smaller, real “How to make this happen” steps. Very organized. Me, I am with your husband, let me make it to my next birthday! LOL! Jillian
Haha. Yes, but if you don’t do goals, you still manage to get a load of stuff done. I can’t believe how much you do, what with the day job, writing, promoting, and hanging with friends and family. Wow.
Another list maker here 🙂 Ha, I just know procrastination would win if there were no set goals to meet. And I love your 2019 goals, Laurie, and look forward to hearing that you’ve smashed them!
I set goals, make plans, have aims but the only lists I make are shopping ones, because I know no matter how hard I try, life and other things hamper achieving them. But it certainly is a good way to focus the mind and organise one’s time. Love the goals on your list. Hope you reach them all and have fun trying!
Me, too, Kit! And even if I don’t, I’ll get more done than if I don’t do goals. So doing them is a win for me. 🙂