Overcoming roadblocks: strategies for reaching your goals

In spite of good intentions and strong resolutions, after the first enthusiastic moments, our wings fall off and we get stuck. Instead of saying ‘I failed again’, let's analyse what mistakes we are making and what we can do to finally achieve our dream goal.

A goal is too general

One of the most common mistakes we make is setting too general or too ambitious goals. An example? ‘I want to develop professionally’ or “I want to gain knowledge in finance”. Although these are very interesting intentions, they lack precision. Such goals are difficult to achieve because we do not have a clear target point or a detailed action plan.

HOW TO REMEDY THIS:

Once you have set a major, big goal, it is worth breaking it down into smaller, more specific tasks. Instead of saying ‘I want to learn programming’, it's worth putting ‘I want to learn the basics of Python in three months’. Being specific allows you to plan better and evaluate your progress.

Lack of consistency and discipline

The biggest challenge is often not in achieving the goal itself, but in staying consistent. As time passes, our initial enthusiasm and drive subsides, and the routine of everyday life and other responsibilities effectively push our motivation away.

HOW TO REMEDY THIS:

The key is regularity and creating habits. If you work on something every day, even for 10 minutes, you are already building a habit of performing that action.

If you want to go deeper into the topic of habit building, we recommend the excellent book ‘Atomic Habits' by James Clear. The author shows with practical examples how even the smallest changes in our daily behaviour can have a huge impact on our lives and success.

Fear of failure

Often the reason we fail to reach our goal is the fear of failure. We are afraid that something will not work out, that we will fail again. Added to this is the fear of what ‘people will say’. Subconsciously, we avoid activities that could bring us closer to our goal and, as a result, we do not get out of our safe bubble.

HOW TO REMEDY THIS:

First, we need to understand that failure is an inherent and altogether necessary part of development. Every failure is an opportunity to learn and to improve our actions. Let's not be afraid to make mistakes, but think of them as another step towards achieving a goal.

Too many distractions

The modern world is full of triggers that constantly distract us from achieving goals and completing tasks. These technological distractions include our smartphone, social media, beeping notifications from news sites or YouTube, emails, apps that remind us that something needs to be done immediately. We don't even know when we let ourselves be seduced by them again and let them take our precious time and energy.

HOW TO REMEDY THIS:

Take advantage of the popular time management method of ‘pomodoro’ - divide your working time into 25-minute segments of intense activity and after each segment there is a 5-minute break. It's worth doing a digital detox during the day and putting your phone away as much as possible.

Lack of a well thought-out action plan

Setting a goal alone is not enough. Too many chaotic and spontaneous decisions and actions are not conducive to progress.

HOW TO REMEDY THIS:

It is worth developing a detailed action plan. Let's see where we are at the moment and where we need to start on our ‘journey’ towards our goal. Let's break down this journey into smaller sections and map out each successive step on a timeline. Such a plan will certainly have a positive effect on keeping you motivated, but it will also help you to track your progress and make any adjustments. Let's not forget to monitor our progress - in a diary or online app.

Lack of external support and motivation

Unfortunately, working on goals alone can be difficult. We often lack support from loved ones or colleagues who don't really know how to support us. Our enthusiasm starts to fade quickly, especially if the goal set is a big challenge.

HOW TO REMEDY THIS:

Let's look for people around us who have set themselves a similar goal and let's agree to support, motivate and account for each other's progress. - says Kamila Izdebska, Head of BPP Professional Education - If our goal is to develop and gain additional professional qualifications, it is worth doing it on a course, because then the lecturer, group mates and even a tool for verifying our progress, such as exams, will help us to maintain high motivation and monitor our progress.

Overplanning and perfectionism

Let us stress again that planning is key. However, let us avoid falling into extremes and not try to develop a perfect plan. Perfectionism can often paralyse our actions. We are constantly afraid to take off because we feel that our plan is still not good enough.

HOW TO REMEDY THIS:

I like the saying that ‘the better is the enemy of the good’,’ notes Kamila Izdebska, ’instead of standing still and waiting for the perfect moment to start, it is worth taking action. A step forward is always better than stagnation.

Finally, a few words about habit building

Properly built habits are very important for long-term success. Relying your actions solely on motivation is a mistake, as this will fade over time. Habits that we have put in place and at some point began to perform regularly and automatically are the foundation of lasting results.

Let's create daily routines to support our goals. Let's pursue our goal in small but effective steps. If your goal is to learn a new skill, start with 10 minutes of exercise a day. As soon as you feel that this new activity has become a natural part of your day, you can increase the time spent doing it. The second tip is to combine habits, e.g. if you drink coffee every morning, you can decide to spend 15 minutes learning immediately afterwards.

Trusting that you will now achieve your dream goal, we wish you the best of luck!

Article also published on focusonbusiness.eu/en/.