6 tips for taking your goals from being dreams to reality
Often find yourself stuck in a war between what you want and a lack of motivation to get started? You know what you need to do - sign up to that gym, call that friend, clean that cupboard - and yet here you are doomscrolling through someone’s ranking of Taylor Swift’s past relationships like your TikTok algorithm is going to provide all the answers.
But if you’re determined that 2026 is the time for you to break free from the shackles of that procrastination cycle and finally start giving your future self something to thank you for, here are 6 steps you can take right now.
Ask yourself: Is this something I really want?
It may sound simple and silly, but it’s amazing how many of us zoom full speed down a rabbit hole in pursuit of a dream that was never ours to begin with. An easy way to tell is to look at how it makes you feel; a real dream may make you feel nervous - we’re only human - but the overwhelming emotion will be excitement.
Write it down
Research from Dominican University of California found that people who write down their goals are 42% more likely to reach them than those who don’t. That means pen and paper - not the notes app on your phone.
Get specific
What exactly are you setting out to do, and how are you going to do it? Don’t leave any scope for confusion, uncertainty or any other stumbling blocks that are likely to send you off track. Create yourself a clear map that lays out all the steps you need to take.
Be realistic
Don’t set yourself a target that’s way out of reach - you’ll just end up giving up. Of course you can aim to run a marathon, but next week? With no training? And with only a pair of Crocs to your name? Probably not.
Give yourself a deadline
No more I’ll start on Monday/in January/whenever I feel like it. Start now, and put a date in the diary for when you want/hope to have reached your goal. For example, I plan to have saved £500/lost 5kg/written the first chapter of my book by 1 March.
Tell someone about it
By putting it out there to someone you trust you’re giving yourself an extra layer of accountability as they’ll likely keep asking you how it’s going, and if the options are “really well, it’s coming along nicely thank you” or “errrrrm… about that…”, I’m sure we all know which side of the fence we’d rather be on.
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