Happy FUCKING New Year, baby!
Seriously, 2020 was an absolute bitch. Happy 2021!
Now that we’ve left 2020 in the past, it’s the time of year where everyone starts setting their yearly goals they want to achieve. Most of these include start going to the gym, quit my job and become self employed, contribute more to my RRSP, etc etc etc. Spoiler alert? Like 99% of people last maaaaybe 3 months with their new resolutions. And you want to know why? They don’t know how to properly achieve them.
I’m just as guilty as everyone who creates unrealistic resolutions at the beginning of the year and never follows through, okay? Definitely been there, done that. BUT, once I was tired of constantly not hitting all my goals, I figured out how tf to achieve them. And, of course, I wanted to share with you guys! But first… here are my 2021 goals!
- Hit 100k on Instagram, 1M on TikTok, 100k on YouTube, and #1 in Sexuality in Canada on the podcast (verification would be nice too lol)
- Speak at at least one conference that highlights my expertise in social media, business, or sex
- Hire an IRL assistant to work on the YGK team
- Make $250k before taxes
So… How Tf Do You Achieve Your Goals?
Well, I’m SO glad you asked.
Like I mentioned, the #1 thing everyone is missing, is followthrough. And also maybe clarity on what is actually achievable for them (no shade, no tea, we all have our own unique timing!). So how do you make sure that you actually hit the goals you’ve outlined in your resolutions? Well, it goes a little something like this…
1. Be Realistic
Is a goal of yours to double your corporate salary in 12 months? That’s amazing! This is absolutely achievable. BUT… have you really set yourself up to do this? Do you have a side hustle already? Have you amassed a new skill or degree that makes you eligible for a higher paying job? Are you taking on another full-time job? Money (unfortunately) doesn’t just appear out of thin air!
So take a little look back at your goals you’ve already got written on your iPhone notes app for this year and be realistic with yourself. I know it might already feel like a let down to change some of the numbers or timelines around. But let me tell you… it’s WAY better to be realistic now than be disappointed later.
2. Refine Your List
“Karly… I literally JUST changed my timeline/numbers/whatever…. what do you want me to do NOW??”
Well sis, I want you to refine your list.
Something else I’ve noticed that so many people (including myself) struggle with is writing down TOO many goals. Can you realistically achieve 15 BRAND NEW goals in 12 months? I know I can’t. So my next suggestion is to cut down on what doesn’t absolutely set your soul on fire when you read it. And when you’re done, you should have about 5 goals (MAX 7) for the year ahead.
3. Break It Down
This is my fave part. Breaking everything out into steps! (It’s the Type A in me)
Now that we’ve got a short list of realistic goals, it’s time to actually DO something about it. Depending on what you put on your list, some of these goals can be super daunting for you. Want to run a marathon? Save $10,000 by the end of the year? Both of those are BIG (but achievable) goals to achieve. The solution? A breakout strategy, baby!
Here is exactly how I like to break down each and everyone of my goals to make sure I’m on track and hitting them every single day, week, and month of the year.
3a. Monthly Breakdown
And I’m not even talking about the stress-induced monthly breakdowns I have literally every single month. This is more… the fun, planning type!
All jokes aside, I love to break down my yearly goals into monthly goals at first. Let’s say you want to save $12,000 this year. Okay, so what does that look like monthly? Well, that comes out to $1,000 per month you need to save. Simple, right?
Same goes for literally everything else. Trying to write a book? How many pages per month do you need to write to finish each and every chapter? Paying off a credit card? How much (plus interest) would you need to contribute every single month? Breaking big goals down like this not only takes a lot of pressure off, it turns your goal into more digestible content.
3b. Weekly Breakdown
After we’ve broken our yearly goals into monthly goals, it’s time to break those goals into weekly goals. How much is $1,000 per month over 4 weeks? $250 each and every week.
Let’s say one of your goals is to grow your Instagram account. You already know you need great content, an amazing story, and you need to really bring something valuable to the platform so… what else do you need to do to see those numbers start to climb? Well, you could start posting content consistently every single day of the week. Or, you could figure out any other posting strategy that works for you – as long as it’s a weekly thing.
For this stage, I don’t want you to just think logical breakdowns here (ex. $12,000/12 = $1,000) because we all know that. What I want you to do at this stage is dig deeper into what you actually need to be doing. Do you pick up a side gig you work a few times a week that allows you to pay another $500 on top of the $500 you’re contributing from your regular salary? Think about how to tangibly achieve your new monthly goal here. Think of each week as a mini goal!
3c. Daily Breakdown
I hope y’all saw this one coming.
To compliment our monthly and weekly goal breakdowns, we have the final stage in our list – the daily breakdown. This is one thing you do every single day to put you closer and closer to your goal. And I seriously mean it … EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
Sticking with our Instagram example, you’re posting content weekly and achieving that goal. But what else can you be doing? Well, you could be actively engaging with other people’s content every single day. Or, you could be taking the time to thoughtfully respond to your comments. The list goes on and on. But what I’m saying here is, your daily breakdown of your goals are like little nano goals. They’re things that maybe in the short run don’t return much on your time investment. Maybe you have a day where you actively engage and not one single person follows you. Been there, done that sister! BUT what if the next day your content interactions gain you 10 new followers? What if you did that for 10 days? That’s 100 new followers in just over a week!
Just like the weekly goal, I want you to think about this as a new goal (sort of). It’s not just crunching numbers and calling it a day. It’s creating habits that allow you to get ahead and lay the groundwork for your goals before they even reaaallllyyy begin to show in your life.
Keeping Up With… Accountability
Like all great things in life, your goals also won’t come to you easily. And that’s okay! Trust me when I say that the work is worth the reward.
BUT… you have to keep yourself accountable!
I know that life happens. I feel like we all know life happens after the year that was 2020. So sometimes you’ll miss your daily goals, or you won’t meet your weekly goals. It’s totally okay! But when one day turns into two days and turns into seven days… that’s not life anymore, that’s you not taking accountability for your dreams. Sounds harsh I know, but it’s absolutely true.
If you’re like me, you love accountability tools. I am a self-proclaimed queen of spreadsheets and apps that help me stay on track. If you’re similar, an app that I live and die by is called Way of Life! It uses red and green psychology to give your brain a lil dopamine boost whenever you get to check off something as done (or green).
If you’re not big on trackers or spreadsheets, no problem! I suggest sitting down weekly and really evaluating the work you actually got done vs the work you think you got done. Take full accountability for whatever areas of loss you had that week and get yourself back on track the next. I also suggest sitting down monthly and assessing your monthly goals in the exact same way!
And now? You’ve got the BEST framework to achieve literally anything in your life! I apply this strategy to so many other things besides my personal goals like writing papers, typing blog posts, and creating content for Instagram.
Try this now and thank me later, okay? 😉
Cheers!
Your girl, Karly
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