As you’ve probably gathered by now, I’m a big advocate for journaling, and one brilliant use that I’ve found for mine is to support my goal setting efforts, by helping me review my goals on a weekly basis, and hold myself to account.
Goal setting
For full disclosure, I have several journals on the go, including one journal that I keep just for my ideas. The reason for this is simply because, sometimes, they sometimes flood out and I can’t do them all at once. Being able to park them until I’m ready is a sanity saver.
As a coach, I use my main journal to take an idea and explore it: looking at the possibilities, and trying to figure out how to make it work. When you look for obstacles, you’ll find them, so journaling through potential set backs and excuses really helps me get clear on how I can turn my goals into reality. Simply writing about your goals makes the impossible seem possible.
As an ex-nurse, I still use the nursing process as my guide. Assess, plan, implement and evaluate is a process that I live by.
Assess the viability of your goals
When you have a dream that you want to turn into a goal, the first thing I look at is how viable it is.
My journal helps me look at my strengths and weaknesses in a honest way, so that I can choose my goals carefully.Â
If I want to climb Mount Everest for example, I’d have to not only lose weight and get fit (doable), but also get over my fear of heights (not so doable!).
Use your own journal to put your goals under the microscope and see what tweaks and changes you’d have to make to turn your dreams into reality.
Planning
There’s a reason that I’ve not just writen journals, but my own goal planner. I love to plan for the future. (Sometimes I plan too far into the future, but that’s another story!)
My jorunal helps me to break down my goals into actionable steps, creating a project plan with milestones that will help me stay on track.
Implementing action plans
When you journal everyday, you can set yourself 3 specific tasks for that day that will move you closer to your goals. HoweverFinally, we’ve all had days that get away from us for one reason or another, so by reflecting on your goals and action plans, you can help keep yourself on track. And if you get derailed, then you can see what you need to do to get back.
Finally
There are all sorts of reasons for journaling, but as a Life Coach, I strongly advocate that my clients use this tool for their goal setting. You can make as many plans as you want, but unless you take action and keep yourself on track, that’s all they will be.
Journaling is a great sounding board, but it also makes a fantastic accountability partner!
Give it a go…
—————————————————————————————————————————————
Don’t forget, you can join my 30 day journaling challenge any time and if you’re looking for a journal to write in, then I’ve created one or two on Amazon.Â