6 Simple Tips to Accomplish Goals Faster
Have you started working towards a goal and you feel like you are nowhere near where you want to be? Maybe you want to pay off a large amount of debt, lose that weight finally, or transition into a more fulfilling career. Sometimes you feel like you are on the right track but you know there has to be a faster way to accomplish your goals. The following are tips that can help you finally reach that milestone, while also keeping your sanity.
1) Start Now
Analysis paralysis is one of the biggest obstacles that keeps people from achieving their goals. Some people waste so much time overanalyzing what it takes to accomplish their goals. Knowing what to do and how to do it is only part of the formula. You must take the first step, even if you don’t always feel fully prepared. In today’s Information Age it is easy to be inundated with articles, videos, and podcasts that tell you how to do almost anything. But until you begin taking actionable steps toward your goal, it will always remain just a goal.
2) Learn from the Masters
You can save yourself an immense amount of time and effort if you learn from others and attempt to avoid the pitfalls they have faced. Research the people who have accomplished the goal you want to reach. Who are the experts in the field? How did they get there? What do those experts have in common with each other? By learning from others it can tremendously help you on your path to success. Although everyone’s backgrounds are different if you look at the common traits and actions taken by successful people you will begin to see patterns. Sometimes following those patterns can get you there more quickly, and you can therefore have more time to develop your own unique style.
3) Be Consistent
There is no way around it, you need to put in the time and effort in order to accomplish anything in life. This is the true crux of any success story, they put in the hard work on a regular basis. Challenge yourself to discover the best schedule that works for you, and be realistic about it. Although some people may find the idea of consistency and scheduling to be mundane, try turning that thought on its head. Instead, imagine yourself having already accomplished your goal and explaining to people how you did it. Consistency through hard work isn’t normally that glamorous, but just think of the end result and how glamorous that end result will be.
4) Work Smarter, not Harder
Consider the various ways you can make changes now to save yourself time and effort. You may have heard the phrase, “Work smarter, not harder” but might not know how to apply that to your life. Changing the fundamental systems that we follow day-to-day is a great way to to see big changes in a short amount of time. An easy way to think of this, is to consider someone who has a very cluttered and messy house. They may feel they will always struggle with staying organized. But if they make small changes it can actually have a big impact. Many of us have struggled with the “Laundry Monster” that piles up. For some people the Laundry Monster is dirty, while for others it’s a clean pile that needs folded or hung up. Consider scheduling certain days to do the laundry, or have your partner or children help on certain days. Sometimes when people get stuck in a routine that doesn’t work for them, it’s hard to see to simple solutions. Try researching what other people have done to change their day-to-day routine that helped them break through those bad habits.
5) Be Accountable
Being accountable to someone is one of the biggest influencers in whether someone reaches their goals. Many people who have had a long journey to lose weight swear by those regular check-ins with their family member or friend. Try also looking for a support network online as well. For some people having a friend online to check in with is a simple way to stay accountable. Try to consider accountability as a two-way street. Keep it super simple to start off. You can send a message to them saying, “Hey, I did my 30 minutes of exercise today. How about you?” You are creating change not only for yourself, but helping someone else as well. Staying connected with other like-minded people with the same goals can help us to stay committed to our goals when we may be struggling. They say, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and it also takes a village of people to help us along our journey to success. Having more than one accountability partner can also increase your odds of success as well.
6) Reward Yourself
Reward yourself in a way that doesn’t sabotage your efforts. For example, if you are trying to lose weight and you finally break past your plateau, do not reward yourself with anything food related. Or if you finally managed to save that $1,000 emergency fund, do not buy plane tickets to Tahiti because there was a sale you just couldn’t pass up. Learn to reward yourself in new ways. Write down a list of all the ways you can reward yourself that are within your budget. Brainstorm the free things you can do to reward yourself as well.
What is one goal you would like to accomplish quickly? What do you feel is the best way to reach your goal in a fast, but reasonable way?