Summer is such an amazing time of year, and with it comes a new energy and motivation. Maybe it’s the promise of pooltime—or maybe it’s just our vitamin D levels being restored—that brings out the sunny demeanor in all of us. Either way, the start of summer presents a great opportunity to check in with yourself and on your goals. If you set goals at the start of the new year, how have you progressed? Are they still relevant, or do you need to make a few adjustments?
Whether you’ve got ambitions to run a marathon, nail a one-legged crow, or get your finances in order (so you can make it to the inversions class to nail said one-legged crow), how you go about setting your goals can make all the difference.
To help your hustle, we called on lifestyle coach and self-proclaimed mother hustler Jo Encarnacion to give us her quick and dirty tips to setting and crushing your goals this summer.
Discover.
Self-discovery is incredibly important to both setting and achieving your goals. It helps to dig deep and learn more about yourself. In doing so, you’ll likely discover things that don’t exist on the surface—like what drives you and where you’re most confident.
Stay SMART.
Setting SMART goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely is a common practice of businesses and teams. And the process works very well for personal goals too. The acronym serves as a reliable checklist to ensure the goal is well thought out and relevant to your current desires.
Time it out.
When working with clients, I break down large goals similarly to how I work toward my own goals—as smaller one-, three-, and six-month goals. Every two weeks we check in on their progress and make changes based on what’s working and not working. Setting smaller goals and pairing them with action steps helps with continuous progress.
Two Words: Bullet. Journal.
Bullet journaling is my favorite way to make lists! It allows you stay on top of your tasks while tapping into your creative side.
Enroll others.
Regardless of your specific goal, it’s important—and oh so helpful—to have others who can help you through. Find a community of like-minded women who you can look to for advice and lean on for support when necessary. There are countless Facebook groups, in-person meetups, and tools to support you as you work toward achieving your goals; take advantage of them!
Let passion prevail.
Don’t discount the importance of passion when it comes to the hustle. When you’re passionate about what you’re working toward, the goal is much more attainable. Check in to make sure you’re after that which sets your heart ablaze.