How to Achieve Your Goals in 2024

You might refer to them as objectives, missions, New Year’s Resolutions, or goals. No matter which term you use, they all describe the same thing: accomplishing an achievement you have identified and wish to seek. Oxford Dictionary defines it as:

“the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result”

To bring your vision to reality, here are four basic goal setting and, even more importantly, goal-achieving concepts to follow:

See It.

Your mission, objective or goal should be something you view each day so that you are reminded of what you are focusing on. How you choose to view this daily reminder can come in the format of a word cloud, list, vision board, sticky notes and so on. Basically, we’re talking about an object, artwork or note you’ll easily see each day – and displayed in a place you will view each morning, like your closet, bathroom mirror, or pantry. (If you don’t retrieve clothes from your closet or check yourself in a mirror or grab food from a pantry each morning, think of a place you do naturally visit, even if that’s – ahem – the toilet.) Instead of or in addition to a physical reminder, you could use a digital reminder on a phone or other device you view daily.

Plan It.

You most likely have been alive long enough on this planet to know that goals do not happen by accident. Take just five short minutes to capture your thoughts on what steps you’ll take to get there. (If you think five minutes is entirely too much time in your life to use, set a timer the next time you scroll through your streaming app when you’re deciding what to watch. How long did you spend there?)

Schedule It.

After you’ve identified your steps to take, schedule the first step on your calendar. Set an appointment with yourself to work on the first small step, even if it’s for only 15 minutes.

Celebrate It.

As you accomplish each small step or task, be sure to celebrate that sense of completion in some way. When we wait until the end to do this, it can be tough to see the light at the end of the tunnel and stay motivated to keep going, keep striving. By patting yourself on the back, giving yourself a high five, or rewarding yourself in some way for each step you take, you’ll receive acknowledgement every part of the way and get that motivational push to keep moving forward.

Bonus: Share It.

People who share their goals with at least one other person with whom they’ll share progress updates tend to reach a higher goal completion rate. The first four steps I shared will get you where you want to go, but if you want a little more support and insurance, find a friend, coach or group with whom you’ll check in. This is commonly called an “accountability partner,” but since that “A” word seems daunting or intimidating to some folks, we’re calling it Share.

What is your aim or desired result?

If you follow these goal setting recommendations, you will make it happen. You can do this!

For more recommendations on creating the time to transform your intentions into goals and achieve those goals, take a peek at The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer.