Annual Goals with a Mid-Year Reset

Goal setting annually can require a mid-year reset. Each January many of us set an annual goal. By the time June rolls around regrouping on our New Year goal is a great activity for success.

The natural timing of this exercise is something that comes when my academic schedule starts winding down. By early June I’m able to reflect backward on the previous six months and plan forward toward the rest of the year.

So let me explain my process in case you too are still working toward meeting some goals this year.

1. Start with Gratitude

Did you know, gratitude drives happiness? The more grateful you are, then the happier you are too? I love this explanation here. So regardless of where I am in my goal achieving journey I always start with gratitude. In fact, I have a gratitude note on my phone. It’s my form of gratitude practice. I list milestones achieved, praise reports, and life’s victories. Another element I always include is the date. So it also resembles a timeline of thankful moments in my life.

As I begin my semi-annual goal reset. I start with looking at my digital gratitude journal. I find myself nodding, smiling, and saying prayers of thanks. It’s a wonderful reminder that the journey IS the destination and I reflect on my blessings as a result. For me goal setting and achieving starts with reflection like this.

2. Backwards Planning

You need to spend time picking, isolating, and/or determining which goals you set back in January you’d like to continue. What are you taking with you into the second half of the year? Once you decide what goals you want to continue achieving then it’s time to plan HOW you will achieve them.

I love a good planning and brainstorming sesh. But starting with the end goal in mind and working backwards is on a whole ‘nother level of awesome! Let me walk you through how to backwards plan.

Start with your mentally easiest goal. Imagine and visualize what it will look like to accomplish the goal. Write down, what you imagine this achievement to look like. Next, list everything you will need to do to make your goal a reality (don’t number the list) just get it down…in any particular order. Then, mine the list and number each step chronologically until you reach the end. Lastly, rewrite your list with all the steps in the correct order chronologically and numbered.

You just backwards planned your first goal!

3. Make the List and Do the Hardest Things First

Lists have power. Don’t believe me? Try making a short but concise to-do list the next time you feel overwhelmed with the list of tasks running through your head. Then tackle the hardest thing on the list first. I learned this trick from Angela Watson, several years ago when I was working on my behind-the-scenes effectiveness as a teacher.

There is something simple and miraculous about taking all the thoughts out of your mind and placing them constructively in a list on paper. Not even in any particular order. Then when you tackle the hardest thing on the list first something even more amazing happens. You start your momentum of accomplishment off with a bang! Now the rest of the list seems senselessly easy because you accomplished the most emotionally draining task first!

So take the planning you did during our backwards planning step and turn it into a to-do list. Each number may have a series of to-dos to accomplish. Or an item in the numbered list from step 2 may be a single to-do in and of itself. Either way though, once the list is complete begin with the hardest element first and voila…you have just started, continued, or restarted your work toward goal accomplishment.

Once the first to-do list is done, move on to the next numbered item in your plan from step 2. Make a new to-do list and the process continues…

4. Schedule it to Conquer it

So you have regrounded in gratitude. You’ve chosen the goals you want to keep working toward through the end of this year. Planning for goal achievement is actively happening, so now everything just happens on its own right? NOPE! You gotta schedule it to conquer it friend!

Here’s what I mean.

To effectively manage your goal completion (regardless of what it is) schedule time to work on it. This is no different than the importance of planning your meals for the week or scheduling workout sessions. Get the work time scheduled and allotted for. One of my favorite bloggers actually schedules overnights away for goals work. She also reserves a space outside of her normal office a few times a year to have a team work day to make headway on goals. The intentional scheduling of her work sessions makes her goal achievement more effective.

My husband and I have organically found that we schedule, plan, and brainstorm goals three times a year.

• Late December/Early January for the entire year ahead and reflect on the passing year.
• Late May/Early June for the summer months and as we consider the flexible schedule the kids and I may have. We determine what goals have staying power from back in January, or if we need to make new goals.
• Mid-August/Early September for the remaining months of the year. The fall and holiday season are my busiest weeks as a content creator. Regrounding with a planning session is necessary. Not to mention the new school year is beginning and requires thoughtful work.

So there you have it. Four simple ways to recharge and reignite your annual goals!

I hope I leave you with hope, for you and your intentional life,