2022 Goal Setting for people who want to get sh*t done.

We are all fallible, all capable of committing perceived sins of sorts, at various points in our lives we are lazy, greedy, selfish, and lacking in virtues that we might idolize in our heroes. 

 

To acknowledge this is not a weakness, it’s an omission of truth, and guilt over such things is not only unproductive, but self-defeating. 

 

If we are aware that we are far from perfect, we are left with either accepting that and continuing our imperfection or taking a decision to improve ourselves and by extension our lives and those around us. 

 

So it is we come to goal setting, and though some see it as a cliché to set New Year’s resolutions I still get excited about the prospect of what I might be able to achieve over the next twelve months if I apply myself in the right way. 

 

If you too would like to take some positive steps in 2022, the following pointers should help you in setting out a plan and carrying out the necessary actions.  

 

So grab yourself a nice diary, and get to work! 

 

 

 

This isn’t something to do in a few minutes on a whim, nor on the back of a receipt, proper goal setting should be done with deep and careful consideration, it might even be done over a few days or weeks as you write things down, then re-visit them later with fresh perspective. 

 

 

Break down each area of of the roles that you fulfill and consider what you might need to improve upon in each area, for example… 

 

Finance-build up three months of savings, pay of credit card etc. 

 

Family- Take at least one evening a week to have a quality conversation with family members and every month have one entire day with a shared family activity. 

 

Health- try a month without any alcohol, increase daily step average by 1000 over what it is now, complete at least 1000 press ups a month. Cut out sugar intake during the week, include fruit or vegetables with every meal. 

 

Business- Improve productivity by removing unnecessary distractions and planning more carefully, improve turnover by xx%. 

 

Relationship- plan at least one date night a month, ideally each week. 

 

The above examples are just brief goals I’ve made up, take some time to write yours down and try to be specific about your intentions (for example eat veg with each meal rather than just eat more veg), within this you might also consider timelines e.g. achieve x by summer.  

 

 

You have to set a goal that will excite you enough into action, something that if you are successful in would make a big difference in your life, but it also has to be realistic, at least to you that is. 

 

For example, most people could probably run a marathon if they applied themselves, but perhaps to you that seems a million miles away, so instead you could aim smaller for now, a half marathon, a 10k, 5k? so long as the thought of that still brings a sense of excitement if you complete it. In this case you set the goal to the distance you would like to achieve but avoid setting that distance as final result, so it would be 

 

In 2022 I’d like to be able to run at least 10k without stopping. 

 

 

The outcome is the thing you want, the process is the way you get it. When you set a goal, you have to wind back from the outcome to consider what kind of actions you have to take in order to achieve it, those actions become the goal. 

 

For example, if the goal is to lose at least a stone, consider what kind of things you might have to do to lose at least a stone and keep it off. You’d probably have to become the kind of person who is more active than you are now and pays much more attention to what they are eating, perhaps often forgoing the thing they’d like in order to achieve the thing they want. 

 

Those actions then become the thing you focus on as a goal. 

 

BONUS TIP- focus on your future self, imagine what the you of tomorrow might be like from the positive actions you take today. What would you in three months time be like if you kept acting like you did today? six months? a year?  

 

 

Here is a simple test, set a simple process goal that will help you achieve your desired outcome, for example do 50 press ups a day. 

 

Now ask yourself on a scale of one to ten how confident you are that you’ll do that goal? 

 

Anything less than 10 (complete and full confidence) then scale the goal down. 

 

So maybe your 5/10 confident you’ll do 50 press ups every day. 

7 out of 10 confident you’ll do 40 a day. 

8 out of 10 confident you’ll do 20 a day. 

9 out of 10 you’ll do 10 a day. 

10 out of 10 you can do 5 a day. 

 

At least five a day is the goal now, whilst you are there, you can always do more, but start with the thing you are absolutely certain you will do. 

 

 

There is a reason we do what we do and don’t do what we think we should. 

 

The benefit of our habits keeps us repeating them, perhaps drinking on the weekend is an escape from the stress of work, maybe eating snacks on an evening helps give you some comfort that you’re not getting elsewhere. Write a list of all the habits you think you could improve on and draw two columns next to them. In the first column list all the benefits you get from that habit, perhaps drinking is a social thing, maybe it’s a kind of escapism, it could help you unwind or maybe you just really like the taste. 

 

Now write down the cost to these habits, the effect that continuing to repeat them has on your life, not just the financial cost but the health cost, the social cost, the long term cost. 

 

Now do the same for actions you need to take to improve, the cost of being more active might mean losing more time from elsewhere, it could mean getting up earlier, or less family or work time. The benefit of course would be feeling more energized, losing weight, improving confidence. 

 

 

 

The idealistic world of planning often falls apart when it comes into contact with reality, things happen sometimes which can de rail you. Perhaps your really busy at work, more than you expected, or maybe you just struggle to stick to your diet plan because its too restrictive for your circumstances. 

 

At the end of each week, look at your goals and plan, and consider how things are going, and if needs be if you need to chance course or tactics. 

 

 

 

The only guarantee with goal setting is that if you don’t set a goal you won’t achieve it. 

 

Other than that, merely attempting to improve your life and taking actions to do so can only benefit you, it can often take many repeated attempts to achieve a goal, when people quit smoking it can sometimes take a dozen or more attempts. So if you if miss some of your goals it isn’t a failure, you’ve just found a process that didn’t work for you, and now you are free to try another way which might work better. 

 

You might also improve your life at least slightly better, maybe your goal was to lose a stone and you lost 1/2 a stone, that's still an improvement.  

 

 

Few people can do it by themselves, so don’t be afraid to get in touch with someone who could assist you with your goals. It could just a be a friend or colleague, someone who’ll give you some honest feedback and guidance. 

 

If you need help with exercise or nutrition, then feel free to get in touch, I’ve been working as a Personal Trainer in Hull for seventeen years, I’ve worked with professional athletes, people in their nineties, lots of people who were extremely overweight, people in wheelchairs, people with various disabilities, health conditions, and just about everything that could possibly affect somebodies’ health and wellbeing. I’ve listened as people told me their stories as they broke down in tears, more often that you'd think, and I’ve spent hours researching and trying to find the best evidence to help my clients. 

 

I have access to resources and a network of professionals including dietitians, physiotherapist, doctors, surgeons, and various other professionals who can advise me on all matters of health. Most importantly, I never judge, and have empathy for the struggles so many are facing, and will work hard to help them overcome those struggles. 

 

 

When you succeed in your goals, or even part way to your goals, take some time to acknowledge it and reward yourself. It doesn’t have to be much, maybe block some time out on your calendar, make sure your phone is off, and do something nice for yourself. Could be as simple as a long hot bath with candles, or maybe a few hours in a coffee shop with a good book. Doesn’t matter which, just take time to acknowledge what you’ve done and use that as a marker point for the next step. 

 

I hope the above pointers where useful, have an amazing New Year, and all the best in 2022.