Are you someone who likes to set themselves targets or goals? They don’t have to be professional to be considered good goals, they can be personal. Also, goals don’t have to be long-term. You could have goals that are short-term, but also effective. Finally, goals can often be broken up into many smaller steps to make them more achievable. However, to help you, you should be using a planner for goals.
If you’ve never used a planner for goals before, you probably haven’t realized the significant benefits that can be found from using a planner. So, here are the top 10 reasons why you should be using a planner for setting your goals.
1. Writing Down Goals Commits Them To Memory
Saying your goals out loud is a good way to solidify exactly what you want to achieve, however, when you write down what you want to achieve it is remembered more easily. This is because writing activates more areas of the brain. And, if you have the goal memorized, you’re more likely to work towards it.
2. You Can Create Milestones
While writing down goals makes them easier to remember, it doesn’t make them easier to achieve. Large goals can seem daunting, but by using a planner you can set yourself milestones to make the progress seem more rewarding. At the same time, milestones are great ways to incentivize yourself during long projects.
3. You Can Create Plans For Goals
You’ve got a goal, but do you have a plan on how to achieve it? A planner for goals allows you to create long-term strategies for achieving your goals. You can include tasks that need to be done to complete goals or materials you need for the work. This makes achieving your goals less challenging as you can start taking action.
4. You Can Track Progress By Crossing Off Items On Your To-Do List
If you have followed some of the advice mentioned above, you will start to write down milestones. Once you’ve started completing those you can cross them out of the planner. This will give you a sense of achievement but it is also a way to check on your progress. When you’ve completed a whole page in your planner, you can even rip it out. This sensation is basic, but it does help with mental challenges that are associated with large goals.
5. You Can Keep Track Of Your Emotions
While you’re keeping track of your goals, you aren’t keeping track of your emotions during the pursuit of your goals. This can be a fatal mistake as your emotions are key to achieving targets. If you aren’t feeling positive, then you’re going to struggle with your goals. This can have a negative impact and you will abandon them soon enough.
However, you can use your planner for goals as a way to also journal about your experiences. Talk about how milestones have turned out, what is next and how it all makes you feel. This can help you overcome low points and celebrate huge successes.
6. You Can Visualize Goals
Some goals you set yourself are about building projects or new product ideas. These can be great ideas to work on, but you can lose focus if you don’t have a visual cue to work off. This can be in the form of cut-outs from magazines or newspapers or you could draw the potential finished product.
Visualizing a goal is a great way to remember it and it adds a way for you to determine the best way to tackle issues early on. In addition, when building something new, you can spot mistakes and errors in the initial designs that can be corrected before you’ve developed prototypes and other aspects of the final goal. This is a great idea for running events too.
7. You Can Show Others Your Plans
Sometimes, your goals require the involvement of other people. Describing what you intend can be misunderstood; however, by writing it down, there is no loss of communications and you can be sure that your future potential partners are on the same page as you, literally.
Having the plans written down in a planner also allows you to photocopy them. This can mean you can send them to other people for their opinions, without the potential loss of the original. Or you can keep backups yourself.
8. You Can See The Development Of Targets
Not all targets remain the same as you progress. Some might change. For instance, if your goal is to build a new business, the nature of that business can change significantly over it’s establishment. By using a planner for goals, you can see the changes you’ve made and include the reasons why certain changes were made.
It can also help you go back to past ideas when you’ve made a change that hasn’t worked out and you think a previous decision might have been better.
9. It Saves Time
Keeping notes in a planner for goals is a great way to save time. You don’t lose time in remembering what you’ve already decided or debating milestones previously achieved.
10. It Becomes A Way To Prove Your Skills
When it comes to getting a job, a planner for goals is a great way to showcase a project that you’ve designed and seen through to a successful conclusion. This is particularly great if you’re starting out in your career and you don’t have much experience in the industry or niche. As employers prefer skills and experience over education, you might find that you have an advantage over fellow job seekers.
Final Word: Why You Should Be Using A Planner For Goals
There are numerous reasons why a planner for goals is a great option for you. The ten reasons above are some of the best. They will make it easier for you to achieve your goals and be more productive. This will make you happier and more productive.
Do you know any other reasons why you should use a planner for goals? Let us know in the comments below.