Quick Tips for Reaching Your Goals

I’ve been creating goals for over a decade. For parents, for kids, and for myself. Through all of that, I’ve learned some tips to help keep everyone on track. Whether you have goals for yourself, or for your kids’ behavior, here are some quick tips to help you reach them:

1. Start small. Like so so small. Break your goal down into teeny tiny baby steps. This prevents burnout from going too hard too fast and ensures you can master the first step before moving onto the next.
2. Give a reward! Before something comes a habit, it can be really really difficult to stay motivated. We combat this by rewarding ourselves for reaching those little mini goals we created in step 1. No one else can choose what keeps you (or your child) going. Maybe it’s a little sticker on a chart, or a sweet treat at the end of the day. Just keep in mind, if progress is flailing, you may need to up the reward (in size or frequency). Don’t worry, you fade these out as progress increases. Rewards are never meant to be forever.
3. Troubleshoot. If something isn’t working, don’t automatically think it’s something you’re doing wrong. Maybe you need to break it down more, maybe you need to shift how you do things, maybe you need more support to get going (alarms, lists, etc). I have to set alarms for EVERYTHING. Do whatever you have to do to master that first step.
4. Keep your “why” in mind. This will help keep you going when things get tough.
5. Don’t beat yourself up for slip ups. Progress is not going to be perfect. If you have a slip up, just say “whoops, I slipped up” and move on. Minor, infrequent slip ups aren’t going to derail the progress.
6. Prepare for those times when things aren’t ideal. It’s much easier to master your goals when things are going well. But what if you’re extra tired? What if you’re sick? Think ahead about what you’ll do when these situations arise. Will you give yourself/child a break that day? Will you have a back up plan? It’s not bad to just take a day off and get back on track when everyone is feeling better either!

I think we all get really caught up in making goals, going in hard, and trying to be perfect. This is not a sustainable way of thinking. Instead, if we can break down our goals, focus on progress over perfection, and keep an open mind to adjusting, we can really make real, sustainable progress and change our lives.