New Month, New Goals – April Goal Setting

The start of a new month is my absolute favorite. It’s the perfect time to hit the reset button and focus my goals for the month to come. I typically block time on Sundays for goal setting, so yesterday I set intentions for the week and month ahead.

The Difference Between Monthly Goals and Weekly Goals

For the most part, my weekly goals read like a list of prioritized to dos. I always seem to have a laundry list of tasks, so I like to skip day-to-day chores (clean bathroom, meal plan, etc.) and stick to 2 or 3 big items that will make me feel like a weight has been lifted. Last week, I put file taxes on my list because I didn’t want to head into April with that unfinished.

My monthly goals are built around one main intention. For April, I’m focusing on mind and body. Because of this, I’ve set three main goals: meditate daily, workout 4x / week, and cook at home at least once a week. These are all quantifiable and things I have complete control over.

In addition, I’ll also throw in some larger projects that I want to complete and work these into my weekly goals. This month I want to develop an Instagram content calendar to help me get back to regular posting, I gave myself a target budget to stick within that I can track weekly, and I want to cross at least one more item off my annual bucket list.

Realistic Goal Setting

I’ve talked about this before when it comes to my annual bucket list, but I try not to include goals that I don’t personally control. Example – I used to put how many coffee mugs I wanted to sell each month as a goal (i.e. sell 30 mugs in April). I can promote endlessly, but I can’t make someone buy from my shop. I stopped including goals outside of my control because they made me feel powerless and defeated.

Keeping Accountable

I don’t always hit my goals for the month – in fact, it’s rare that I hit them all. They’re more of a way to keep life moving in the right direction. Setting time aside once a week allows me to take stock and plan accordingly. Plus, having them written means I can easily look back on what I wanted at the start of each month.

The biggest thing I have to keep in mind with goal setting is to give myself grace and remember that a goal can be a great tool for accountability, not a hard-and-fast rule.

 

Do you have any tricks for goal setting and staying on track? What are some goals you have for April?