Goal Setting Program - 10-Step Formula to Achieve your Goals

I'm on a mission to achieve as many goals as I can before 2016 (take a look at my post '17 before 2017') and I'm already planning ahead for 2017 (with 'Your Best Year 2017' by Lisa Jacobs). Therefore, I'm always looking for ways, formulas and techiniques that will bring me closer to my dreams. While I was reading Edwene Gaines' book 'The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity', I came across her 10-step formula for successful achievement, that I'd like to share with you today.

Those 10 Steps are as follows:

1. In a notebook dedicated to your goal setting programme, write down all of your desires, no matter how large or small. 
2. Choose your most important desires and list them in order of importance to you. Be very specific.
3. Consider what changes you might need to make in order to achieve your goals.
4. Choose the date by which you desire to achieve each goal.
5. Read your list of goals at least three times every morning and every night.
6. Imagine yourself achieving each goal.
7. Act as if you have already achieved your goals. Believe that you receive.
8. Don't tell others. Keep your goals private.
9. Cross off the goals as they are achieved and continue to add new ones.
10. Remember, the Universe's highest law is LOVE.

I had some issues with #8 of the list. For me it's important to share your goals and dreams with your family, friends and the people you love. But that's exactly what Edwene Gaines means. She mentions that you can share your goals with people that you can trust and who are going to encourage and support you. But you should not tell the people that might judge you, discourage you and make you doubt yourself.

'Desire is the onward impulse of the ever evolving soul.'

                                                                                                                              Charles Fillmore

Even though I've heard or read all of the above at some point in my life, putting everything in a list with strategic steps makes it easier for me to take action. And even though I've been writing my goals and I tried to visualise them from time to time, I've just left it at that and expected things to just happen! Well not any more! Now I'm planning for the future taking conscious and deliberate steps towards my goals. 

What is your winning formula for achieving your goals? Have you tried any of the above?

17 before 2017

After reading Lisa's and Kara's posts and of course after starting to read the 'Your Best Year 2017' book, I'm all pumped up and ready to finish 2016 strong. And what better way but to create 17 goals to accomplish in the time that's left (no pressure there!)

So, in this post I'll share with you both my personal and work related goals that I'd like to achieve by the end of 2016. Let's do this!

#1. Start training for my 10K run.

I've decided to take part once again to the Limassol Marathon that's taking place on the 19th of March 2017. I'm quite out of shape at the moment. I've been walking and swimming almost every day for the past 3 months, but I haven't run for a while now. My plan is to do the 5K Runner app. first and then to move on to the 5K to 10K app. If I start this week, then I can finish the first app on time and run for 5K before Christmas, which is my goal. Then I'll have enough time to train more in the new year.

#2. Clean Diet.

I've noticed that I've been having lots of cravings lately for sweet treats and I keep on messing my diet with silly foods. I just need to be more aware of what I'm eating, look at the labels for the ingredients and find natural, better for you alternatives to satisfy my appetite. I've currently bought the book 'Eat Smart' by Niomi Smart and I love it. My goal is to make it a habit of eating like this and lose at least 2kgs by Xmas.

#3. Go for a bike ride with all the family by the sea front.

Since the weather is still really nice here in Cyprus, I should take this opportunity and go for a ride with our bikes by the sea front with my kids and my husband. My kids learned to ride their bikes without stabilizers recently and they're very excited about it. So, this would be a great idea to plan a fun day by the sea for the 4 of us. I just need to buy them safety helmets and we're good to go. I should make arrangements to do it before the end of October.

#4. Decorate my living room.

I've been meaning to do this for such a long time and I keep on postponing it. But I think it would be nice to decorate the living room and have everything nicely done before Xmas. I'm thinking of a cozy and warm decor with lots of Moroccan vibes, where I can add colour with accessories and pillows. I've created a board in my Pinterest account that I've already started to add inspiration photos. Now I need to set my budget, make a list of what's needed and do my market research.

#5. Revamp my wardrobe.

I plan to do this every year, but I just never do. I keep clothes that I haven't worn for years, and quite frankly I don't think I'll wear again, so I really need to do this. I have to separate the things I want to keep for sentimental value and store them in the attic, the things I don't want any more and arrange to give them to charity and lastly the things I want to keep. Then, I'll write down a list with all the items I need to buy and go shopping! (that's the fun part!). Again Pinterest comes to the rescue - my go to place to find inspiration for the style I want to have and nice and cute outfit combinations ideas.

#6. Family Excursions.

I want to plan 2-3 fun excursions with the family. It's the perfect time to spend quality time together, visit new places and go on hikes or nature trails. I'm already planning the first one for the 27th of October, where we'll get to visit some villages, walk by the river and have a pic nic. Hopefully everyone will have lots of fun and the river won't be that cold! If it snows up in the mountains, I'd like to take the kids for another excursion to play with the snow before the end of the year.

#7. Invite friends over for dinner.

I want to cook a 3 course meal from scratch by myself and invite some friends for dinner. That thought is a bit scary, cause I'm not the world's best cook but I really want to give it a try and be the best hostess I can!

#8. Read 70 books in 2016.

So many books, so little time! I've already read 52 books so far and I'm sure I can reach my target of 70 books before the end of the year. If you'd like to see my reading challenge, find me on Goodreads.

#9. Plan ahead for Christmas.

I want to plan Xmas properly this year for the family, with lots of activities and things to do for the kids. I want to make it a time to remember, create new traditions and amazing memories for them. I already have lots of ideas, but of course I'm planning to create a list in my Bullet Journal to make sure I don't forget anything! How do you make Xmas special for your family? Let me know in the comments below ;)

#10. Travel to London for the New Year.

We've already booked the tickets and have arranged for accomodation. But there's so many things I want to do when we're in London that I really need to start planning right away! Everyone is very excited and I can't wait to fly back to London. It's been too long...

#11. Take an Illustrator course.

Lately I have a lot of ideas of things I want to do and create, and lots of times I've realised that I need to use the Illustrator for them. I'm quite good with Photoshop, but I haven't used Illustrator, so I'd like to take a course to get myself acquainted with this software and start using it for my future projects. I also need to subscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud.

#12. Reach 5000 Subscribers

When I started blogging, I never thought that I would get that many subscribers! Actually, when I started my Newsletter, I seriously didn't think that anyone would be interested in what I was offering, and I remember having second thoughts about it. But when people started joining in and subscribing, I was over the moon! Right now I have over 2800 subscribers and I'd love to reach 5000 by the end of the year!

If you haven't joined my Newsletter yet, now it's the perfect time to do it! ;)

#13. Write an ebook.

I've always wanted to do that, but I kept holding myself back. Well, not any more! I want to plan, schedule and write an ebook before the end of the year. I haven't decided 100% on the title just yet, but once I'm ready I'll let you know more information about it. ;)

#14. Start my YouTube channel.

I've tried a few times before to start making videos, but I had some technical difficulties and that made me have second thoughts about it. But I really want to start my YouTube channle, because I can show you so many more things and be more detailed with the way I do things. So, my goal is to upload at least one video by the end of 2016.

#15. Start selling in my Etsy Shop

I want to join in the fun and start creating! I have lots of ideas and I'm sure that after I take the Illustrators' course that I mentioned earlier, I'll be able to do so much more!  Again the plan is to start and upload at least one listing, taking things one step at a time.

#16. Create valuable content for my blog

I want to make sure that I keep on creating and writing content that helps my readers and inspires them to be more creative with their Bullet Journal. But I also want to start making more content about other categories as well, like time management, organisation and planning, goal setting and blogging.

#17. Plan My Best Year 2017

I'm so excited with the 'Your Best Year 2017' book by Lisa Jacobs, that I haven't stopped talking about it! I'm already half way through and really excited for the year ahead! I have so many ideas and Lisa managed to help me with her book and worksheets to put my thoughts in order and plan my next steps towards my goals.

What will you do to finish the year strong? Let me know in the comments below.

Weekly Review and Planning with my Bullet Journal

The last month I've started doing something at the end of each week that has totally affected my productivity and my mindset. Since I've started using this technique, I am able to do much more over the course of the week both in a personal and working level.

The new thing that I've implemented into my planning and bullet journaling is a Weekly Review. It's the time where I step back and assess everything that has happened during the week that just passed. I see where I am at, and what needs to be done. It usually takes me 20-30 minutes every Sunday afternoon to go through the process, and that makes me focus, concentrate on my priorities and make sure that I'm dealing with the things that really matter. That gets me ready for the week ahead.

I've been looking around for new and more organised ways to do things (as I always do!), and I came across a lot of articles and planners that mentioned the Weekly Review concept. So, I took all the information that I found and adjusted it to my needs.

The first thing I do, is to go back to the week that just passed in my bullet journal and see how I did. I know there's a million questions I could ask myself about what happened, like how I felt, the obstacles I encountered etc. But I decided to keep it simple to three questions:

• Which were my biggest wins?
• What didn't work?
• How can I improve?

This helps me to actually see what I've achieved this week and give myself a pat on the back :)  It also shows me what didn't work, and what changes need to be done to make things happen. It's a really nice way to focus on the things that matter and find solutions. I also like to separate personal from work, and therefore I create a section for each one.

After I finish with my Weekly Review, I move on to myWeekly Planning. For this, I go through a few steps:

• I check all my emails to see if there is any appointments, events or tasks for next week.
• I go to my Calendex to see if there is any birthdays, appointments of events.
• I go through my monthly spread and my previous week spread to see if there is any tasks that I have to migrate to this week. I also look at any notes that I have written to myself to remind me of things that need to be done.
• I check my housework routine to see what I need to do each day. 

When all this is done, and I have filled in my weekly spread, then I identify the key tasks / priorities that I need to do this week. I choose 3 for personal and 3 for work. Of course there are more things that I need to do, but I have to finish these 6 first, before I move on to the other projects. That way I don't get distracted and lose focus.

Under each project, I write all the necessary steps I need to take. There is no particular order, I just brainstorm and write things down. I can add extra steps if needed as I go along and when I finish one of the steps, I tick it off. During the week, I will go back to this page to see what I can do that day for each project, depending on the time I have. For specific tasks that I want to make time, ie. hand lettering practice, I will

It makes me feel very organised and ready when I've got all the steps that need to be done in one page :) It is a way to collect all the information you need from your notes, emails, bullet journal and your brain (!) onto a page, so that you can figure out how to take action on what needs to be done.

Do you do a weekly review? What system do you prefer for your goal setting and your projects?

My Bullet Journal Planning Routine

Having lots of spreads and pages in your bullet journal that help you with your day to day planning can sometimes be a bit confusing or you might find that you forget to check a page at one point. I try to keep on top of everything I create in order to help me with my future planning, but making a list to make sure you don't forget anything is always a good idea ;)

I break my planning into monthly, weekly and daily speads. That way I can keep track of any tasks, projects, appointments and so on. I also have a yearly spread with all my plans and goals for the current year, but I don't have to change that during the year.

-- MONTHLY --

So, my planning starts in the beginning of every month. I take a look at the previous month to see what I have accomplished and where I am now. Then I take a look at my yearly goals to see what I want to achieve by the end of the year and what needs to be done to get there. Lastly, I take a look at my Level 10 Spread , adjust the levels if needed and again see what I want to change and improve in my life and ways to do that.

All the above help me to choose which goals I want to tackle this month. And then I set up my monthly spread in my bullet journal where I write everything down. I tend to change my spread from time to time. I look at the previous month and see what has worked and what hasn't and then make the necessary changes. Or I might be inspired by a spread I've seen on Pinterest for example, and I might want to give that a try.

-- WEEKLY --

Moving on to my weekly planning, I create steps for each of the monthly goals I mentioned above, and then spread them in the time frame of the 4 weeks ahead. I decide which steps need to be done first according to importance, and I create my weekly spread in my bullet journal.

To help me with the reoccurring weekly tasks and so that I don't keep on repeating myself, I created a page for my housework routine and also a page for my blogging routine. That way I know what I have to do for these two categories every week, no matter what.

-- DAILY --

For my daily tasks I start from the night before. I fill in my trackers and my gratitude log , as well as any challenges that I might have done for the day. Then I go on to set up my new daily spread taking inspiration from my 'banner ideas' pages.

I've created a Free Printable for you with a few of the above daily date ideas.

Coming back to my planning, I then look at the day before and see if I have left any tasks that I haven't finished. If I do, then I migrate them to tomorrow's daily spread. The migrated tasks are marked then with an arrow and the cancelled tasks with an X.

Then I look at my Calendex to see if I have any appointments, bithdays etc., and I note them down as well. The next step is to take a look at my monthly and weekly spreads to see if I've noted something there that needs to be done specifically the next day. If not, then I will choose 1-2 steps from my goal setting list to add to my daily tasks. I also check my housework and blogging routine pages to see what I have to do for tomorrow.

I've decided to put coloured boxes on top of the tasks. Each coloured box indicates a specific category (i.e. housework, kids, exercise, blogging etc.) and it also indicates the time I've allocated for each category on my time line. That way I see where I am during the day, and choose from that set of tasks what to do.

The following morning I'll review the tasks that need to be done that day, note the most important ones and add anything if needed. During the day I will tick off any tasks that are completed.

>> If you want to see my favourite Resources that I use every day with my Bullet Journal,  click here to find out what I love to use.

So, that's my planning routine with my bullet journal. It might seem a lot of steps to some, but I'm so used to it, that it doesn't bother me at all. And it's not a lot of work anyway. I can honestly say that I haven't been more productive since starting this planning routine. How do you plan your day?