How to review your goals mid-year

The year is moving quickly, and before we know it, another one will be on the horizon.

So how are you doing with the goals you set yourself earlier in the year? Too often, we give up on our goals because we haven’t done much to achieve them, and it’s easier to drop them.

Rather than reaching the end of the year and feeling like you’ve let yourself down, follow these four easy steps below and make a conscious choice about whether or not to drop the goal.

How to review your goals

Step one:

If you made a list of your goals, find it. If they were just in your head, write them down.

Step two:

Grade each goal on a scale from one to five. One means no longer important or relevant, and five means extremely important. Be honest with yourself; don’t scale something as no longer important if it is. It might not be totally achievable by the end of the year, but you can definitely make good progress between now and then.

Step three:

Now it’s time to decide whether or not you want to keep the goal.

If you feel disappointment at dropping a goal, I would suggest that it’s an important goal and it’s worth evaluating how you can either achieve it in the time you have left, or how it needs to be adjusted to suit your current circumstances.

Remember, goals need to reflect something you want, not something others want for you. For example, quitting smoking because your partner disapproves often doesn’t work. However, quitting smoking because you want to feel fitter and better about yourself may have a higher chance of success.

Step four:

Now that you know which goals you are keeping, it’s time to make a plan for how you will achieve them. My suggestion is to break your goal into five bite-size SMART goals - one for each stage of the process. Include a reward for yourself for each small goal. It doesn’t need to be big; it just needs to mark the occasion.

My second suggestion is that you share your goal with a trusted friend, colleague or family member - someone who will encourage and celebrate with you.

If you would like some professional support in setting and achieving your goals, you’re in the right place to find yourself a coach.