Want to make sure you’re on track with your goals? Then do a spring check-in.
Spring is the perfect time to check and see how your goals are coming along. When flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, and the weather is finally warming up, we can’t help but feel a sense of hope and optimism. The changing of the season inspires us to make a positive change in our own lives as well.
Another good reason to do a spring check-in? You don’t want to wait until the end of the year to see how your goals are doing. By then, it might already be too late to address any issues or make adjustments to your goal-setting strategy. For your goals to truly succeed, you want to make sure that you’re regularly checking on them to see what’s working, what’s not working, and then make little tweaks along the way.
It’s also important to note that life gets busy and work and social obligations can prevent us from staying on top of our goals. We often forget to check-in to see if we’re actually making progress or not. We’re also human beings, and it’s completely natural to lose faith in your goals, or feel like you’re not succeeding quickly enough.
That’s why a spring check-in is so vital to the success of your goals. You can:
- Take stock of your progress so far
- Celebrate tiny triumphs
- Renew your motivation
- Make new plans to conquer your goals
So take advantage of springtime and check-in on your goals so that they, too, can blossom this year.
Spring Check-In: What’s not working? What do you want to leave behind?
First, it’s important to take note of what’s not working with your goals. We often get so focused on our goals that we get tunnel vision around them. And we fail to see the challenges, issues, obstacles, and bumps in the road.
So take out a notebook and do an honest and candid review. Some questions you can ask yourself are:
How is my commitment to my goals?
How do I feel about my goals?
Do I have everything that I need? Resources? Tools? Support?
Try not to judge yourself during this process. Obviously, no one wants to admit that they’ve been procrastinating or not making any progress, but it’s important to do an honest assessment so that you can actually improve and find good solutions. You can’t make progress without deep reflection.
So if you’ve been having a hard time committing to your goals, see if you can put your finger on why you’ve been having a hard time. For example, maybe your goal is to go for a run every morning but you keep skipping your workouts because you want to stay in bed. Or maybe your goal is to expand your professional network but you haven’t reached out to anyone because you’re feeling shy or nervous.
As for what to leave behind, jot down the habits, routines, or thought patterns that are holding you back. Think of ways that you can adjust or reframe them so that they can support you. Or think of different habits or thoughts patterns you can incorporate that are more productive for you.
Spring Check-In: What will you do differently? How will you adjust?
Now that you’ve identified your challenges, you can find concrete and actionable solutions for them.
Ask yourself:
What can I do to improve the situation?
What micro adjustments can I make? Often, it’s not about the big, sweeping changes, but the tiny changes to our habits, routines, and behaviors that make a significant difference.
What can I do to set myself up for success? Do I have all the right tools at my disposal?
Do I have an accountability partner to keep me on track? Am I investing in myself and my goals?
So, if you’ve been having a hard time waking up for your runs, maybe it’s about adjusting your evening schedule. Make sure that you’re going to bed earlier and setting up your running gear the night before, so that you can feel well-rested and ready to go the next morning.
Or, maybe it’s simply a matter of changing your running schedule. If you’re skipping your morning workouts, don’t keep forcing yourself to wake up at the crack of dawn, only to hit snooze. Instead, opt for running after work. Or running in the afternoon on the weekends.
When it comes to adjusting, you don’t have to overhaul your entire personality or routine. Oftentimes, all you have to do is to make little tweaks in order to see remarkable improvement.
Spring Check-In: What is working? What will you keep?
Yes, it’s important to identify what's not working and to be honest about our challenges. But you also shouldn't forget to recognize what is working. Make sure to know what’s going well so that you can keep doing those things and continue to make progress.
Ask yourself:
What tools are helping me do my best?
What routines are making me feel energized and excited about my goals?
Who are the people that are bringing out my best?
What progress have I made? What tiny wins can I celebrate?
Maybe you’ve found that writing in your journal every morning makes you feel clear-headed and ready for the day. Then make sure you maintain this routine. Or maybe you’ve discovered that having a weekly phone call with friends helps you feel good about yourself and makes you feel enthusiastic about your goals. Then keep doing that.
And make sure to identify the affirmations and beliefs that are also helping you. What are some of the mantras and inspirational quotes that have inspired and motivated you? Keep these. Or find some new quotes and mantras to help you embark on the next part of your goal setting journey.
Now that you’ve done your spring check-in, you will be ready to tackle your goals with a renewed sense of purpose, energy, and clarity.
Written by JiJi Lee