We’re nearing the end of the year. Due to that, you may be thinking about the resolutions/goals you set for the year or you may be thinking about different goals that you set earlier this year.
Update: How To Set And Reach Goals In The New Year
If you’re reading this post, there may be a chance that you’ve fallen off track with your goals. However, you may be looking to learn about how to get back on track.
Not all goals are met and everyone has experienced falling off track.
I’ve fallen off track, you’ve fallen off track – everyone has fallen off track with their goals before.
Whatever your case may be, you may be feeling a little upset that you were unable to reach your goals. You may have fallen off track with your plan, you may have completely forgotten about your goals, or you may even feel like you already failed.
No matter what your reasoning is for falling off track, there are plenty ways to get back on track with your goals and be successful with them. Don’t let this small hiccup prevent you from trying again!
Below are some of the many ways you can learn how to get back on track. Yes, you can end your year strong and reach the goals you have been trying for. Whether you have financial, health, career, or other goals, the tips below can help you reach them.
Find smaller ways to stick to your goal.
Many fall off track when it comes to their goals because sometimes the steps they are taking are just too big to take on a daily basis. This may cause a person to ignore their goal because they are feeling lazy (we’ve all felt this!), tired, and so on. This can then spiral out of control and cause a person to fall off track.
Forgetting about your goal for just a short period of time may contribute to you completely falling off track.
A better idea for those days when you aren’t feeling like working towards your goal is to take smaller steps. This way you won’t completely forget about your goal and you also won’t feel like you have entirely given up on it. This will make days when you’re feeling “off” much better to deal with.
Several examples so that you can learn how to get back on track include:
- If you are trying to eat in more, try cooking meals ahead of time such as by taking part in a batch freezer cooking session. This way you have something to turn to on the days when you don’t feel like cooking.
- If you’re not feeling like working out, then do something small instead. Try to fit in some squats, lunges, jumping jacks, or whatever else while you are cooking a meal, watching TV, or getting ready.
- If you are trying to reach financial goals but are feeling overwhelmed, you may want to start automating as much as you can, using sites such as Personal Capital to help you stay on track, and so on. This can make reaching your financial goals a little easier.
I recommend that you check out Personal Capital (a free service) if you are interested in learning how to get back on track with your financial goals. Personal Capital is very similar to Mint.com, but much better as it allows you to gain control of your investment and retirement accounts, whereas Mint.com does not. Personal Capital allows you to aggregate your financial accounts so that you can easily see your financial situation, your cash flow, detailed graphs, and more.
Motivate yourself.
Due to the fact that you’ve fallen off track with your goal, I’m going to assume that you may not have found the correct ways to stay motivated.
Finding motivation can be a hard task for anyone. However, motivation is key if you want to learn how to get back on track. Motivation will help you continue to work hard towards your goal, even when it seems impossible. It’s what keeps you going so that you do not quit.
Without motivation, some would give up on their goals very easily. This is why it’s so important to stay motivated.
There are many ways to motivate yourself so that you can learn how to get back on track with your goals. The many ways include:
- Create a vision board and make it visible for you to see on a normal basis.
- Make it a friendly competition (read more below).
- Find ways to reward yourself as you get closer to your goal.
Related: How To Stay Motivated And Become Successful
Make it a friendly competition.
One great way to motivate yourself is to make it a competition. Finding an accountability partner can make reaching your goals a somewhat easier and more fun process.
This is because you won’t be going at it alone, you’ll have someone to talk to who is going through a similar process as you, you’ll have someone else pushing you to succeed, and more.
There are many ways to find an accountability partner. An accountability partner can be someone you know, such as a friend, family member, coworker, and so on. An accountability partner can even be a stranger, such as someone you met online who has a similar goal.
Related: Setting Goals For The New Year
Create a blog and learn how to get back on track.
I say this all the time, but I truly believe that a blog can help a person get ahead with their goals. When there are others reading along and witnessing your journey, you will feel much more motivated to be successful.
I have heard other bloggers say this as well. When everything is out there and public, you don’t want to create a post that basically says “I failed.” Instead, you will be motivated and you will want to push as hard as you can so that you can show others that you’re successful.
I honestly don’t know what kind of financial situation I would be without my blog either. My blog helped me get on track with my finances, it helped me stay motivated because of the great blogging community, and more.
If you are interested in starting your own blog, I created a tutorial that will help you start a blog of your own for cheap, starting at only $3.49 per month (this low price is only through my link) for blog hosting. In addition to the low pricing, you will receive a free blog domain (a $15 value) through my Bluehost link if you purchase at least 12 months of blog hosting.
Think of a new plan.
If you are off track with your goals, your last plan most likely did not work. You may have created a plan that was too strict, too loose, unrealistic, or something else.
You should create a plan that details the steps you need in order to reach your goal, what will happen as you reach each step, when and how you will track your progress, and more. Being detailed with your plan will help you reach your goal and become successful.
Then, after you check in on your progress of your plan, you might find that you need to make changes in order to reach your goal. You may decide to change your timeline, your goal entirely, or you might set different smaller goals in between your timeframe.
You should always make sure your goal is what you want and that it is realistic, so completing this step is important.
Start.
In the end, you really just need to start if you want to learn how to get back on track.
Whether you never really began in the first place or if you took a break, you eventually need to start again. Until you do, no progress will be made.
Get out there, start working towards your goal as soon as you can, and be successful. Once you start, it will be much easier to reach your goal. It’s always those beginning moments that are the hardest.
You can do it. Good luck!
What are your current goals? How are you doing with them? Are you trying to learn/understand how to get back on track?
James Pollard says
I know from personal experience that it’s really tough to get back to an abandoned goal. I’ve thought about this topic a lot, and I think you hit the nail on the head with finding smaller ways to stick to your goal. In my own experience, I found that this work. In a sense, I wanted to make it as easy as possible to stick to my goal. I wanted to go to the gym more often, so I would have all my clothes and supplies out, all my shakes pre-made, etc. The more resistance I could take away from the get-go, the easier it was.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Good job on finding ways to stick to your goals!
Sherrie says
This couldn’t have come at a better time! Thank you for this post. I have been thinking about setting particular goals, and since I’m usually all over the place thought wise, I was a little overwhelmed. These tips are great, and the most important one? Just simply start. Thanks again!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Welcome Sherrie!
Reelika @Financially Wise On Heels says
That’s a perfect timing for me! I have been planning for a while to update my vision board, but there is always something that interrupts me doing it. I definitely have to stop procrastinating and just do it. After all, it is supposed to motivate me 🙂
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Yes, just do it!
David says
I want to thank you very much for your post. I always look forward to receiving your newsletter they are extremely informative.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Thanks David!
Esteban says
I wrote a very similar article yesterday 🙂 great minds think-a-like 😉
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
🙂
Penny @ She Picks Up Pennies says
It seems the best way to get back on track is to make sure you’re aware enough to realize you’ve gotten off track. Being more mindful about goals and the work it takes to achieve them is important. Love your tips and strategies. Very practical and motivating!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Thanks!
Dee @ Color Me Frugal says
I think my biggest problem lately is that I have too many goals. I’ve been trying to streamline and figure out what is most important to me, because I’ve been feeling really scattered trying to do so many things. I’m a constant work in progress where goals are concerned!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Haha I know exactly what you mean. That can be a problem as well!
Holly@ClubThrifty says
We had a pretty awesome year financially, but I would still like to do better next year! Our key to staying on track is creating a monthly budget and stashing away as much as we can.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
I know you can do it!
Autumn @ The Barefoot Budgeter says
I actually just sat down and set my 2015 goals. Better late than never, right? Even though I didn’t have official goals for the first part of the year (too much was uncertain), I still did the small stuff mostly the same – I cooked most of my meals in, I spent way less than I earned, and was active in some way every day. Actually setting goals is the most important part though, so I need to stay on track with that!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
I’m bad at remembering what my goals are. I don’t think I had a blog post dedicated to 2015 goals this year but I plan on changing that for 2016!
Kristi @ Femme Frugality says
I definitely need to work harder at keeping myself accountable for my personal goals through public blog posts. I always put paid work first, so my own blog tends to fall to the wayside, meaning my goals fall to the wayside as well.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Definitely make more time for your blog 🙂
Suzanna @ One Hoolie Mama says
These are such great pointers. I’ve realized that I’ve fallen off track with some of my goals, but I’m giving myself grace – as long as I keep working towards my goals, I don’t have to accomplish every single one. Sometimes progress is better than perfection.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Love what you said “Sometimes progress is better than perfection.” I agree!
Cat@BudgetBlonde says
Great tips! One thing I’m doing for 2016 is setting less goals as I have not been that successful in the past due to having too many varying goals. In the years where I set less goals I tend to do better as I stay focused.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Yes! I don’t really set too many goals for that reason.
Harmony @ CreatingMyKaleidoscope says
We get off track by losing sight of our goals. Taking the time to reevaluate and assess your progress can be a huge help in rekindling your motivation. Setbacks can be depressing, but it helps to think about the things you did right, even if you didn’t meet your goals. In a few months I plan to tabulate all of the debt that we have paid off this year. There are still balances, but focusing on our progress will give us the huge boost in confidence that we need to keep going.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Yes, thinking about the things you did right can really help.
Jen says
One way that has really helped me get back on track is looking back at my vision board. I create it at the beginning of the year with “intentions” to make them true. I don’t look at it throughout the year and towards the end of the year I remind myself to take a look at it as a New Year’s ritual and see how much of my vision has come true. Thanks for the reminder that I need to take a look at it soon! Sometimes my vision board is crowded with large ideas, starting small is a great idea.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Yes, vision boards are so helpful!
Money Beagle says
If it’s a money related topic, I often find that reading blogs centered on the topic of my (lost) motivation helps. If I start reading, I see where others have succeeded (if they can do it, so can I), and failed (hey, I’m not alone), and this often helps me get enough thoughts in my head to get moving and go forward.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Yes, I agree!
Latoya S says
I think creating a blog will definitely help me plow through some of my goals. I’m eager to see what I achieve before the end of the year and I know that 2016 will be great!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Good luck! 🙂
giulia says
I’m agree, I have short-mid-long term goals plus every week I control situation of what I achieved and what I must still achieve, control readjust but always keeping myself focused on my personal goals.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Yes!
Jayson @ Monster Piggy Bank says
When I lose motivation, I always try to go back to where it all started and to my collage of financial goals. This really helps me be positive and motivated again. Or sometimes, I just take a break and have some fun to get positive energy.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Yes, breaks are needed occasionally as well.
DNN says
Getting back on track with goals is a true transformation challenge. It inspires you to eat right, do your cardio, and get your mind right. And, when you strive for excellence to get organized across the board health wise and finances, then you can truly say “I am doing the transformation work at full strength.”
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Yes!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Haha I am a list person too!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Thanks Juliet!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Yes!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Yes, it makes everything much easier!
Amy @ DebtGal says
2015 was the first year for which I set goals, and I’ve learned a lot about what I want to do differently next year. 🙂 I’ve made some good progress, but some of the goals were thing I just didn’t care about as much as I thought I would, some were too “big”, and some were too “small”. For 2016, I think I’m going to try monthly, rather than annual, goals.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Yes, I like monthly goals more!