Visualising goals as tangible and reachable is important. Putting them as solid in your mind and making them happen by taking the correct steps can help fulfill your 2018 goals.

My 2017 goal was ‘to finish the year fitter than I started’ – this is quite vague and general but was absolutely reachable, and I feel comfortable that I accomplished it.

Now, a continuation of that goal in 2018 is to be more consistent. My consistency definitely got better last year, with me even having the stamina to hit up a few gyms while I was overseas in New Zealand mid-year.

Diarising each week has become therapeutic. Knowing what is happening each week and being able to reflect at the end of it is critical. This is where you know how each day went down and how you can improve next time.

Some very successful businessmen such as Grant Cardone suggest splitting the day into 15 minute intervals. While I think this is fantastic for days off or for entrepreneurs, for an average 9-5er this may not work, so I would advocate even splitting the day into before-work, during and after work.

A small goal I have started is trying to get up every hour from my desk, this ensures my body doesn’t lock into one position and surprisingly it also keeps you more awake.

Separating goals in the mind and on paper also helps break them down. Mine are also very general this year:

• Fitness Goal: To be more consistent; to try yoga; to lift more weights
• Health Goal: Try and cook a wider range of meals; to meal prep more
• Study Goal: Finish the year with a better GPA for my Masters; to pass the JLPT N2 test in Japanese; to read more books.

I have not added any strict running goal to my fitness goal. Keeping it broad like this works for me. However you may find for yourself you need to segment it down even more.

Motivation in itself also requires work. Sometimes you may have to step back and take a breath and see how far you’ve come before moving forward. Check out Christie Swadling’s channel on YouTube for positivity and encouragement, she’s so good at it!

Another factor that you must take into account is how you can achieve these goals. For me, organisation is key. Write your goals down, look at them, how can you improve this week?

And lastly, forgive yourself. None of us are perfect, don’t expect perfection, if you are prepared for falling off the wagon, you can be prepared to jump straight back on.

Photo by Jess Watters on Unsplash