How to Achieve My Goals With Only 3 Steps

I was stuck in a cycle of setting goals and never reaching them. Every January, I'd make the same promises to myself. And every December, I'd realize another year had gone by without any improvement.

Then I found a simple method that changed everything. This method, with just three steps, has helped me and others in my circle achieve our goals in as little as 6 months. The best part? These three steps are so straightforward. Anyone can use this same approach.

Want to finally achieve what you really want? Here's how to achieve my goals with a tried-and-true system that can work just as effectively for you.

What Are SMART Goals & Why Do They Work?

Setting the right goals is the first step to reaching them. It's almost impossible for vague thoughts like "get healthier" or "save money" to come true because they don't give your brain specific instructions to follow.

It's for this reason that we should be using clearer, more specific goals - SMART goals.

What Are SMART Goals?

SMART goals are an effective goal-setting technique that helps you be clear about what you want, track your progress, make sure your goals are realistic, keep them relevant, and set due dates. When you use the SMART principle, you turn your vague goals into specific actions. This increases your chances of success and keeps you motivated as you work to reach your goals.

The SMART Formula

You might ask how to write SMART goals. Here's what SMART stands for, to help you understand the framework:

Specific: Define exactly what you want to accomplish. A specific goal is clear and well-defined. It answers the "what," "why," "who," "where," and "which" questions.

Measurable: Choose how you'll track your progress. A measurable goal allows you to track your progress. You can tell when you've reached your goal because it includes measurable data.

Achievable: Make sure it's possible, even if it's challenging. An achievable goal is one that you can actually reach with the resources and time you have available. It should be challenging but not impossible.

Relevant: Connect it to what truly matters to you. A relevant goal fits in with your general values and objectives. It is important that the goal is meaningful to you and fits in with your bigger goals.

Time-bound: Set a clear deadline. A time-bound goal has a specific deadline. This gives you a sense of urgency and helps you stay focused.

Why Does It Work?

SMART goals work because they turn vague ideas into clear plans for what to do. You won't have to guess, which is what makes most goals fail, when your brain knows exactly what to do, when to do it, and how to measure success.

Let’s look at the difference between weak and strong goals so that you can see why:

Weak Goals - Strong Goals

"Exercise more" - "Walk 30 minutes every morning before work, Monday through Friday, for the next month"

"Learn a language" - "Finish Duolingo's Beginner Level 1 Chinese by studying for 15 minutes every day for 8 weeks"

"Save money" - "Save $1,200 for vacation by putting $100 away from each paycheck for the next 12 weeks"

The strong goals make it clear to your brain what you need to do to achieve. They clear things up and make a clear path to follow, which increases the chances of success by a lot.

How to Achieve My Goals: 3 Significant Steps

Yes, having a goal is just the beginning. You need a roadmap to reach it.

Step 1: Break down your goal

Break up your big goal into smaller objectives that you can handle. Setting these smaller objectives helps you feel less overwhelmed by your main goal and gives you regular wins to enjoy along the way.

For example, if your goal is to run a 5k in three months, you could start by walking for 20 minutes three times a week for the first two weeks. Then, during weeks 3–4, slowly add jogging bursts. As you get stronger and more durable, run for longer periods of time. Each step builds on the one before it, making it easy to see how to move forward.

Step 2: Schedule your action steps

The next step is taking actions. Set aside time on your calendar to do things which will help you reach your goals. Take those discussions with yourself just as seriously as you would a doctor's appointment. Most likely, it won't happen if you don't plan for it.

In the morning, set aside time to work on your fitness goals. During your lunch break, look over your progress. And every Sunday night, plan out your week. With this organized method, your goals will not get lost in the daily chaos.

Step 3: Track your progress

Tracking progress is like having a GPS for your journey to achieve your goals. I could see where I was and what changes I needed to make along the way.

By keeping track of your progress, you can stay encouraged by seeing how far you've come, spot problems early on before they get in the way, and feel good about each small win.

Simple ways to keep track of your progress are writing them down in a notebook, using a habit tracker app like Habitify, making a visual chart, or scheduling review sessions once a week.

Habitify works really well because it sends helpful reminders, shows your streaks clearly, and gives you insights about your patterns. Tracking is almost automatic with Habitify, so you can focus on what you need to do instead of managing complicated methods.

3 Tips to Beat Your Procrastination

When motivation fades (and it will), try these simple tips:

The 5-minute rule

Commit to just 5 minutes of work on your goal. Even on your worst days, this small promise seems doable. The great thing about this method is that you'll probably keep going for a lot longer than 5 minutes. Beginning a job is always the hardest part.

Distraction removal

Take away anything that will keep you from working on your goal. Close browser tabs you don't need, put your phone in a different room, or find a quiet place to work on your goal. Your environment has a bigger effect on how you act than your willpower ever could, so make it easy to do the right things.

Accountability partner

In order to boost commitment, you can ask a friend to check in with you once a week on your progress. Knowing that someone is waiting for a report makes you more likely to stay on track. Pick someone who will be honest with you, cheer you on when you succeed, and help you figure out what to do when things go wrong.

3 Mindsets That Can Change Your Outcomes

When learning how to achieve my goals, I discovered successful people think differently:

View setbacks as feedback

Instead of saying "I failed" when I missed a workout, I asked myself "What made me skip it?". For instance, I realized afternoon sessions rarely happened because I was tired after work. So, I switched to morning workouts to solve the problem. If you notice, every failure has valuable information inside.

Focus on systems, not just goals

I stopped obsessing over "losing 20 pounds". Instead, I focused on "eating healthy meals and working out four times a week". By enjoying my daily healthy habits, the weight loss happened naturally. The system almost made it automatic for me to reach my goals.

Practice patience

I wanted to be fluent in Chinese right away when I was learning it. But real progress came when I accepted it would take hours and hours of small efforts over time. Six months of daily 15-minute practices got more done than the two weeks of intense 3-hour lessons that made me burnout.

Final Thoughts

You don't need special talents or perfect circumstances to achieve my goals. I didn't have those things either! You just need a clear target, a simple plan, and consistent action.

Start today with one small step.

This is exactly how to achieve my goals - I chose my most important goal and made it SMART. I broke it down into weekly actions. I set up a simple tracking system with Habitify. You can follow the same path to achieve my goals in your own life.

The journey to achieve my goals began with a single step, and yours can too. As Bill Phillips said, "The difference between who you are and who you want to be is what you DO".

So, what goal will you tackle first?

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