Keeping After Your Goals

Quick shout-out to Gretchen Hughes for requesting this blog post! I needed some prompting and she provided the perfect suggestion!

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Hot off the presses this morning is a way to keep after your goals. Seeing as how we've ventured into the second month of the year and my hubs is noticing a decline in the competition for parking spots at the gym at 5:45am, some of you have lost sight of the motivation behind your goals. Is that it? A lack of motivation? Or is it poor planning and preparation. Nothing to keep you going besides the knowledge that you have a 20 year reunion in a few months and you don't want to be flabby for that?

I know the drill. You set out on Jan 1 with a goal to lose 30 lbs and tone up by June 1. Then the Girl Scouts start knocking on your door at the make-it-or-break-it point in your transformation.
One cookie won't hurt... I can work that off this afternoon during my walk around the block.
One box wont' hurt... I still have four months to fix this little snag.
One extra rest day this week won't hurt... I will make it up by doing two workouts tomorrow.

The next thing you know you are skipping the reunion and watching reruns of Friends surrounded by boxes of Thin Mints and Tagalongs.

That's NOT going to be me. I have not only a goal, but a plan to get there. Do you???

I'm sure my scenario above is cliche, so I'm going to focus on something I know a good many of my friends struggle with daily. It's really more of an addiction issue than anything. I avoid it like the plague because I know my tendency towards wasting immense amounts of time surfing. A time-sucker is a mild description.

Pinterest has created a revolution in the ways the creative (and not-so-creative) get inspired, share ideas and store everything from recipes to outfit ideas and party-planning tips all in one spot. All those fabulous ideas!!! Logging in to your accout you imagine yourself whipping out the pinking shears and inspiring awe at your next bunco night with hand-made banners and mini cakes in the shapes of dice...

http://livesmilecelebrate.blogspot.com/2011/07/bunco-party.html

http://catchmyparty.com/photos/1106593

Beautiful, isn't it?

Three hours and no project progress later all you've done is pin another 13,000 ideas to your boards with no time to complete any today.
"Tomorrow is a new day!" you say.
"I'm going to make that tomorrow!" you say.
"I have a great Pinterest project" you tell your friends.
"Oooooh! I can't wait to see it!" They say...

...and you got NOTHIN'. Nada. Nil.

So here's my suggestion, and I'm by no means an expert on accomplishing goals, but I can share what I've done in the past that worked for me!

1. PLAN!!!
Plan your project ON PAPER. Not on the computer. Stay AWAY from the computer... let's make that ALL ELECTRONICS since I know you have the Pinterest App on your phone too. Make your goals accomplishable in increments. Goal A might be to collect the instructions and materials for the project. Goal B could be to complete the first 5 steps of the project. Goal C may be to complete the entire project without being distracted.

2. FOCUS!!!
When it is time to approach your computer, avoid ogling the new pins your friends have sent you. You are on a mission. You have a project to complete! Do NOT open four tabs in your browser. Stick to the board you are working from. If you think you'll wander, set an alarm on your phone to go off every 2-5 minutes and put it with your PLAN! Peeling your eyes away from the computer screen to turn that alarm off will remind you of your plan... just in case you strayed. (Not that you would ever!)

3. TIME LIMIT!!!
Impose a time limit on yourself and give yourself a 10 minute warning. If you have two hours to work, set a timer for 1 hour and 50 minutes so you know your time is coming to an end. Then set another timer for the full two hours. When time is up, time is UP!  (See... in a twist of irony my timer just went off telling me I have to put this post on hold while I go get my son from school! It keeps me accountable for those major life committments...)

4. REWARD YOURSELF!!!
Create a rewards system for yourself when you reach a goal or accomplish a project. It could be treating yourself to a coffee from your favorite coffee shop or getting to spend 30 minutes wandering Pinterest.
Make sure you've earned your reward though... don't just go handing them out willy-nilly or you'll fall back into your old rut! 

Now that you have a plan, get after that project... and share a picture on my Country Girl at Heart page on Facebook when it is complete!