Whether it’s about work, family, personal development, or other areas of our life, we all have things that we want to accomplish. Setting goals give us direction and propels us forward. But all of us have committed to something that totally fizzled out. Sometimes you can’t even remember what your goal was in the first place. So, how do we change that and reach our objectives even after the initial inspiration has faded away?

1. Write it Down

This will make your goal very concrete. It’s right there in black and white. If you don’t remember the goal in two weeks, you can look back at it. I like to write my goal on a page in my bullet journal that I will look at regularly. That keeps my goal fresh in my mind.

It can feel kind of scary to write a goal down. There may be a little voice in your head that says, “Now I feel accountable, and I don’t know if I can accomplish this thing.” That’s okay. At the end of the day, they’re just words on a page. No one else has to know about them. If you don’t reach the goal, you can always adjust it and try again.

2. Make it Actionable

When you’re writing down your goal, write down something that you can take action on, instead of writing the result. For example, maybe you want to have more calm when you are putting your kids to bed. You may be tempted to choose the goal, “have a calm bedtime,” but that’s an outcome that is out of your control. Instead, think about choosing a goal that’s in your hands, something along the lines of, “establish a bedtime routine.” Maybe the results won’t always be calm, (especially at first) but it won’t matter, because the goal is about working on the routine.

3. Make a list

Now that your goal is established, make a list of what you need to take care of to reach the goal. Break it down into as many small sub-goals and steps as you can. Going back to our calm bedtime example, that might look like:

  • Decide the ideal routine
  • Give each child an official bedtime
  • Get books to read at bedtime
  • Start talking to each child for five minutes about their day
  • Cut back on sugar before bed
  • Give each child a water bottle for their night table

4. Commit to Starting

How many times do we think of a good idea or feel inspired but don’t take action? Taking the first step is… well, the first step. Clarify which is the first step, and choose when you’ll take action. Sooner is better than later. If you can’t start right away for practical reasons, do your best to find a tiny step that you can do right away. You don’t want to give yourself too much time to talk yourself out going for your goal altogether.

In our example, that might be simply to write down the ideal bedtime routine that you would like to eventually reach.

5. Focus on Consistency

We’d all love to knock our goals out of the park right away, but rather than focus on covering a lot of ground, put your energy towards consistency. Small, steady steps will go a long way. Let the process unfold before you.

Reward Yourself

The last, unofficial step is to reward yourself, and that starts with appreciating and complimenting your efforts. Congratulate yourself for each small step. If you’ve reach a milestone, like maybe a month of working on the new bedtime routine, give yourself a more tangible reward. Maybe your own calm bedtime routine…