What are achievable and exceedable goals?
Achievable and exceedable goals are the small steps you set yourself en route to completing your project. They fit into your daily routine. They are specific, focused on a single task. And they are measurable in that you will know when it has been achieved.
With our main end-goal in mind, we must break down the steps needed to get there. We all have a tendency to think we can do more than we can in less time than we have. With achievable and exceedable goals, we start with small goals that we know we can complete in the time allotted. Start small and add on if you discover you can do more. Make sure you can achieve your smaller goals first, and be satisfied that you have done your work for the day. And if there are days you can do a little more, that is a bonus.
Someone who has never run before is not going to suddenly be able to run a marathon. First they have to learn how to run properly. They build up their endurance and follow a rigorous training program. If you know you have a big block of time to work on or even complete your project, train yourself ahead of time to be disciplined in spending increasing amounts of time on that project.
Once you have your goals set: the big goals, the long term goals and your short term goals, ask yourself if they are reasonable? Do they fit with your life? Keep the daily goals smaller so that you know you will achieve it. Any extra work you do on your project, above and beyond what you had set out to do that day, is a bonus. Build your confidence, know that you can consistently achieve your goals, and exceed them, before pushing for more.
What is your final goal? Is it the completion of a novel? Finally putting those travel pictures into an album? Changing your career? What small steps can you do each day, each week, to get you to that final goal?
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