Weekly Goals: A Complete Guide To Setting & Executing Them

Goals! I bet you’ve heard them a million times but what exactly are goals and how do you actualize them? Over the years, one thing I’ve come to realise is that everyone has his or her unique methods of working towards their goals. However, one way I’ve found to work perfectly for me is by breaking the goals into actionable time frames. So I set daily goals, weekly goals, monthly goals, long term goal, etc. I tell you the absolute truth, THIS WORKS LIKE MAGIC!

I believe everyone has that friend- The one who is always organized and goes by their day prepared and focused? Sometimes it’s easy to get sucked up into their seemingly perfect life. You spend donkey hours wondering if this person is a secret superhuman (I know that sounds weird, but let’s blame it on Marvel). Well, I hate to break it to you, but it’s time you wake up and smell the coffee. That friend of yours is just as human as you are. The only difference is they’ve hacked the code of living a truly intentional and organized life. Well, there’s no secret to it. All it takes is proper planning and actualization. 

Look at it from this point, we are all given twenty-four hours in a day; seven days in a week. It might seem long or short, it all depends on how you plan yours. Some people just have a better approach to utilizing theirs. 

How I Began Setting Weekly Goals

Growing up, my mum was the one who helped me get my life in order. She did the jobs of a planner and an alarm clock. I still vividly remember telling her to remind me of various things when the time comes and trust mothers to overdo it, to a point I almost regret asking her. Thank God for adulting, although I won’t lie, adulting comes with greater responsibilities. 

In order to balance the scale, I started to set goals, some which I achieved and some which I didn’t. After a while, I realised I prefered setting weekly goals. I was amazed at how much I could achieve with this. I didn’t even know the extent of good I was doing to myself.

So how do you set these weekly goals? 

First off, your weekly goals have to be S.M.A.R.T.

• SPECIFIC
• MEASURABLE
• ACHIEVABLE
• RELEVANT &
• TIME BOUND

Next is to;

• Believe in yourself: Stop with the excuses and pity parties. You can’t be pessimistic about your life and want a change of things. Understand that it’s always tough at the beginning, especially when you decide to take charge of your life. 
• Remember that no two journeys are the same: Everyone’s life journey is different. Find out what works for you. Do research on what routine fits you better. 
• Work!: To set and execute your goals, you must be ready to put in the HARD WORK.
• Embrace more intentional life: Stop putting too much pressure on your pretty brain. Use available resources; stick-on notes on your dresser, refrigerator, google calendar, alarms and all whatnot. Heck, there are tons of productivity hacks, tips, app etc. This blog ishas a slew of productive posts, take your time and cruise through, you are certain to learn a few tips to improve and balance work and life.

These tips would serve to help you achieve your weekly goals.

Your goal is achievable

Of course, it is. I’ll let you know that it is a thing of the mind. I am excellent at time management and organization. I can’t say for sure if it was because I was obligated to; you know, due to school or work. But in essence, you need to find the right push. My point here is you have to ensure you set goals that are attainable, meaningful and achievable. In fact, what better way to achieve your goals than being true to yourself? NEVER SET UNREALISTIC GOALS.

Give it your best shot! Remember, what is worth doing is worth doing well. 

It doesn’t just end at conceiving these ideas on how you can achieve your weekly goals, or writing them down. You have to go the extra mile to make yourself more accountable. Set specific timing and dates to when you’ll complete a task. That way, its easy to measure your progress. With these timing and dates, you know its not ‘this week’ but this ‘Wednesday’; you ought to have completed a given task. Go the extra mile and by the time you begin to achieve your goals, you’ll be glad you did. 

Be Mindful and Intentional 

“If you’re able to look yourself in the mirror every day with the decisions that you make, that’s where the power starts”– Selena Gomez.

There’s nothing good that comes easy, you have to sacrifice for the greater good. Prioritize your goals and work from the least important to the most important. I find out that this strategy works as sometimes beginning with the hardest task can totally overwhelm you, so sometimes it’s best you start with the least and build the momentum.

There’s no better feeling than when you push yourself to finish a task and you actually do? That’s discipline and taking charge of your life especially as an adult. If you are intentional about your weekly goals, you’ll have less to worry about. Why? Because you know what you want and you’re gunning for it. 

You also have to be smart about what you hope to achieve. I realize that sometimes I save for last a particular job that excites me more, rather than the opposite. It helps to motivate me to quickly finish up other tasks before settling into it. It might not work for you in that order, mostly, it’s the opposite. Do you and what works for you. 

Set Deadlines 

Tick, says the clock, tick, tick,
What you have to do, do quick,
Tick, says the clock,
Tick, says the clock, tick, tick,
What you have to do, do quick

The feasibility of achieving your goals mostly lies on setting deadlines especially for those that it takes a special grace to see a task through. Look at the big picture, eyes on the goal and don’t let procrastination get the better of you.

Generally, setting deadlines help to spur you and motivate you. And when you fall behind your schedules, ensure you try to finish up. And remember that every day is a new day, keep at it until it becomes a part of you. 

Reviews 

You have to inculcate the habit of evaluating yourself. Applaud yourself if you’ve achieved your weekly goals. Don’t stop there, ask yourself more deep questions, E.g,

Did you discipline yourself enough?

If you didn’t, there’s no need to beat yourself up too much. Learn to forgive and encourage yourself to do better. Notice your weakness and general changes you need to improve on. Come up with better strategies, be more confident to succeed the next week, you owe it to yourself that you do.

Were you stressed?

If yes, learn to take necessary breaks, if not your body will take it for you. 

Alright, friend, it’s time to get started on those goals of yours.

Personally, I know there’s this special happiness that comes with doing what you’ve set out to do and you have all the free time to play around with. I love my free time a lot and rather than have haunting thoughts of an uncompleted task, I just do it.

It is not easy but you just have to make up your mind to be ready, because whether you like it or not, you still will. 

Go with the easy and stress-free pattern of setting weekly goals, one where you have control over your activities, one where you dictate your time and give your best rather than rush and get drained and frustrated.