As the New Year unfolds, forget the grand resolutions that often fade by February. Instead, imagine transforming your life with weekly, tiny goals. These bite-sized victories not only fit snugly into your busy life but also build a powerful momentum, turning each week into a stepping stone to success. Let’s redefine achievement, one week at a time!
Goals With Big Obligations Don’t Always Work
The page had turned on the calendar, and a new year had begun. I was eating lunch with a friend of mine who is “one of those people.” You know the kind: Type “A” personality, super motivated, always making new plans and goals, and always looking ahead while I’m struggling to keep up with today.
“I’m planning a walking group. We will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:00 to walk through the park. We will push our babies in their strollers and stop at a little park to let the older toddlers run around a little bit. I only want people to join if they can commit to doing this twice a week. No people who are flaky. What do you think?”
I glanced at my six-month-old peacefully asleep in her car seat and my two-year-old busy playing with a small toy. At this exact moment in time, the idea of committing to a walking group seemed possible.
But I hesitated. Could I make this kind of goal a reality? My friend was offering something tempting that would benefit me socially and physically. It could be fun.
But there was no end date or specified target. It was a monstrous, vague goal without any definition.
Aim For Success!
This commitment looming in front of me seemed daunting as I thought about it.
My baby didn’t nap well, and the proposed timing of the walk-workout fell right in her fussy time. My toddler always seemed to bring home new illnesses from daycare that could sideline all of us in an instant. Sleep was a constant struggle with my busy schedule and parenting adventures. I honestly didn’t even know if I could show up twice a week for the foreseeable or unforeseeable future.
This kind of goal, linked with a high level of obligation, felt like I was setting myself up to fail.
I don’t need to create feelings of failure for myself! The world offers plenty of those for free.
Tiny Goals Are Fun-Sized
I didn’t join the group.
I liked the people who were in it and the idea of it, but I wouldn’t say I liked the feeling of how big a task it felt. This was when I had an epiphany.
I like small, snack-sized goals.
I’m the kind of person who enjoys making a to-do list because I feel satisfied with every check I mark. It makes me feel like I’ve accomplished things. (I’ve even been known to add a task I’ve already completed just so I can cross it off.)
Instead of making a vague commitment without a plan on how to achieve it reasonably, I decided to make snack-sized goals. When you want a candy bar but don’t want the calories and sugar content of a regular-sized bar, you go for a fun size. It’s just the perfect amount.
It’s essential to aim for fun-sized goals.
Face it: life is crazy and messy, and we never know what tomorrow will be like. There were times I could not meet twice a week at 10:00. End of story.
Tiny Goals are Doable and Achievable
Instead, I decided to make one exercise goal each week. That way, I wouldn’t feel like a failure if I couldn’t meet that goal.
One week, I made the goal of walking with my baby in the stroller for two days. The next week was supposed to be rainy, so I planned to do a yoga video for two days. The following week, I had a friend come over to join me in an exercise video while our little ones played off to the side.
Making these little, weekly goals made the achievements possible. Even fun! I enjoyed making my plans each week, and I was able to be completely flexible. Tiny goals led to tremendous gains in my life.
Tiny Goals Lead to Surprising Gains
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Setting small, attainable weekly goals rather than huge, broad ones has several advantages:
Enhanced Focus and Clarity From Tiny Goals
Smaller goals are usually more specific and transparent, making it easier for you to understand what needs to be done. This clarity helps in maintaining focus and direction. For a great tool, try this refrigerator dry-erase planner.
Tiny Goals Increase Motivation
Achieving smaller goals provides a sense of accomplishment more frequently, which can be highly motivating. This consistent progress keeps you engaged and less likely to feel overwhelmed. For extra motivation, make plans with a friend.
More Manageable Tasks
Significant goals often seem daunting and unachievable, leading to procrastination or abandonment. Breaking them into smaller, weekly goals makes them more manageable and less intimidating.
Easier Tracking and Adjustment
With weekly goals, it’s easier to track progress and make necessary adjustments quickly. If a particular approach isn’t working, you can pivot or modify your strategy without losing much time. To help progress, try using a fitness journal like this one from Amazon.
Tiny Goals Build Momentum
Each small success builds momentum. As you check off completed goals, your confidence grows, encouraging you to tackle subsequent tasks with increased vigor and enthusiasm.
Tiny Goals Reduce Stress
Large, broad goals can be stressful due to their size and the pressure to achieve them. Smaller goals feel more achievable and thus reduce anxiety and stress.
Promote Consistent Effort with Tiny Goals
Small goals require regular attention and effort, promoting a habit of consistent work. This can be more effective for long-term progress than sporadic bursts of effort toward a larger goal. A weekly planner like this one can help you make your plans.
Small, attainable weekly goals help maintain motivation, reduce stress, and provide a clear roadmap for achieving larger objectives, making them a more practical approach to goal setting and achievement.
3 O’Clock Wednesdays
Three Things
On Wednesdays at 3:00, I have started to do three things.
This is something that takes only three minutes. Three things, at three O’clock, in three minutes, and they can be described in three words:
QUICK – EASY – DOABLE
Here is the Wednesday 3 O’clock recipe for combatting mid-week blues:
Affirmation
Give yourself an affirmation of your positive qualities. There is nobody else just like you!
Grace
Give yourself grace for your not-so-positive qualities. Nobody is perfect.
Self-Care
Plan a self-care pick-me-up for the week. Don’t look at this as a treat but as a necessary part of your well-being.
I encourage you this week, at 3 O’Clock on Wednesday, to make a quick plan of a tiny goal for the next week. It can be any goal you want to achieve as long as it is personal to you. To read more about 3 O’Clock Wednesdays, click here.
For a little inspiration for appreciating the light that glows within you, read Your Light is a Gift: Free Your Stunning Glow.
If you are feeling worn out, check out Drained and Weary? Dare to Recharge Today.
Feeling stuck in depression? Maybe you can relate to Healing from Depression.
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