Gardening Your Goals

Everyone knows the excitement that comes from setting your new goals. The initial dedication is there, the optimism and idealism that comes from the goal. Think of New Year Resolutions - no time is more lucrative for the fitness industry than the month of January, and by March nothing in your house has more dust than that equipment you bought. Your new yoga pants are just what you wear to sit comfortably on the couch when you were supposed to have been doing Warrior 2.

This happens for any number of reasons. Life throws you curveballs, the goals you set really weren't as exciting as you thought, we tend to get bored easily, and for some reason bad habits are way easier to build and re-establish than good ones. As One Republic sings in Counting Stars, "Everything that kills me makes me feel alive," or Metallica signs about mankind in Hardwired, we are "Hardwired to Self-Destruct."

So, with those dark thoughts, how do we overcome this? By treating you goals like you are growing your garden. You first have to make sure the soil is prepared, tools are ready, and you have the seeds or starter plants you need. Then once you have planted, regular maintenance is required or those plants will wither away like your resolution. You need to check for encroaching weeds, fend of pests, and regularly water, fertilize, and prune to keep everything growing as you first envisioned.

With a methodical system of regular check-ins on your goals and your progress, they can bloom and produce a bumper crop like your garden. The more frequent, the better, and they must be scheduled. You know you, and your schedule the best. You know the best times of day to be able to steal 15-30 minutes alone to reflect on the goals you have set, your progress to them, and taking the next steps in progress.

For me, this looks like 8:30 AM on Monday mornings. The teacher teams I oversee have just finished meeting and the first period of classes is starting. I have a chunk of time I can isolate myself and make sure I am set for the upcoming week on the strategies I need to enact toward my priorities related to my goal. Throughout the week when I make progress I put down my little advancements along the way, and on Friday at 2:30, as the week is winding down I take the time to review how the week has gone, and set up my next week. I have my goals document on a Google Sheet I can access from my computer or phone, plus a printed out copy I can bring with me and have in front of me in my office.