As of writing this, we have already passed February and are now well into March.
Before we know it, the month of May will be upon us and half the year will be gone.
And much like years before, most people will realize that the year is gone and done by September, without them meeting any goals that they set in the beginning of the year.
This is why, in this article, my purpose is to keep you motivated and to stay focused on new year goals, but in a methodical way by setting monthly life goals for May.
8 Benefits of Monthly Goals
1) Direction
The first advantage of having a monthly goal is that it helps you be clear about what you want and how to achieve it.
Whether it is an emergency fund or setting up an investment fund for financial goals, but a monthly goal will give you clear cut direction for progress.
2) Focus
As humans, we can get distracted or confused even on our life goals, turning an attainable goal into a far cry.
This is why, you need monthly goals to get yourself focused.
For a better life, it is imperative that instead of short bursts of productivity, you rely on actionable steps.
By breaking down your fitness or writing goals into monthly formats, you can ensure that each month you are achieving something.
3) Sense of Fulfilment
Through goal setting, you tend to celebrate even you short term gains. This imparts a sense of fulfilment that you are working on yourself.
For instance, if it is a financial goal, then each month as you save money and end up with more money in your saving’s account, it will give you a sense of accomplishment.
4) Sense of Improvement
Achieving your goals can be a daunting task, but when you set monthly goals they turn long term tasks into short term actionable steps.
This gives you a sense of improving your skills while not being overwhelmed with the responsibility at hand.
For example, you have a long term goals to vacation in the Bahamas, which can seem expensive.
However, when you break it down into cutting additional cost each month, save time and money from luxuries and each month put away a sum, then in the span of 12 months, you will be able to afford a dream vacation.
5) Motivation
Having a goal keeps you motivated. To support this, one study from UCL can be mentioned here, in which two groups were assigned to do the same task, but for one it was presented in the form of a goal with milestones and for the other, they were only given a final goal.
The results showed that the group with milestones and clear short term goals alongside long term goals were more motivated and made more progress towards goals.
6) Managing Setbacks
With daily tasks of goal setting, it is inevitable that sometimes we fail to achieve what was meant to be done, but when you do goal setting for the month, you learn to manage setbacks much better.
Your perspective shifts from I failed to if I was not able to achieve in the first two weeks of the first month, then other weeks can be made more productive.
7) Clear Priorities
Goals are reminders about what you really want to achieve in life.
Your morning routine and time management skills can act as prompts for getting rid of a bad habit or acquiring new skills.
Irrespective of your goal, when you are setting goals, it keeps you on the right track and by being time bound, it helps you progress towards your priorities as well.
8) Managing Expectations
Some goals can be bucket list items and others can be simply to make your life better.
However, with proper monthly goal setting, you can manage expectations from your goals and yourself.
Most people fail in achieving goals because they set big goals that require effort that they simply do not have.
However, when it is broken down into a matter of one month, then obviously you will keep your goals realistic and therefore better manage your expectations for the future.
How Do I Write Down My Goals?
You might have an idea about your goal and even a strategy on achieving it, but are confused where to start.
In this section, follow these steps and learn to write down your goals into set goals that are steps towards the dream change.
Page 1 : BRAINSTORM
Your first step towards a specific measurable goal is to simply sit down with a clear mind and write down whatever comes into your head.
It can be fitness goals, new recipe, date night, self-care etc. write down the same idea multiple times, but get a sense of what kind of goals you want to achieve.
Page 2 : THEMES
You will use the second page of your notebook to give your brain fog a bit of direction. Go through your ideas and group them on the basis of major themes.
These themes can be great goals and tiny goals or personal goals and professional goals.
Your themes must represent a clear distinction between the goals, which means that you are focusing on different areas of your life, and breaking down certain areas from other areas that are more important for you.
Page 3 : BREAKDOWN
Now that you have major themes, decide how you want to change habits to acquire skills.
Use the third page to navigate lives of your own, family or friends and breakdown your goals into steps to be achieved by the end of each week and month.
For example, if your goal is more self-care sessions, then your theme if personal goals and you breakdown will look like getting chores done on Thursday to have extra hours on Friday that can be used for self-care.
How Many Goals Should You Set In A Month?
Ideally, my recommendation would be to tackle one theme or area of goal in one month.
So, smart goals for the month of May would be to focus on personal goals or work goals or fitness goals, but the key takeaway is that it should only be one.
The reason for this is that too many things on your to do list can be overwhelming and if you somehow manage to tick all of them off, then by the end of the month you are too burnt out to remain productive going into June.
How to Stay Motivated?
If you are willing to go through this plan to set monthly goals and achieve success by slowly but surely working a little bit on your goals each month, then for motivation here are a few tips:
Health and Fitness Goals
If you are unmotivated towards your exercise routine and your work to do list is too long to worry about exercise, then mindful reminders can help you remain motivated.
Set goals for personal fitness and share them with friends. Each one of you will then keep others in check and by setting monthly goals, you can also have a fitness trip with your loved ones.
Self-Care and Mental Health Goals
Often times we are too busy in life and work that we forget to take care of our mental health.
In such a busy life, if you need motivation to work on your wellness, then a routine is your best friend. What it means is that for success in wellness, you have to make it a part of your average day to day routine.
When you are setting monthly goals, breakdown them into part of your routine.
For instance, done hope that you will get around to journaling at some point, buy a journal, put it on the bedside and give yourself 15 20 minutes every night to write down your thoughts.
Monthly Goal Ideas for Work
So far we have learned that by sticking to routine and having a support group can make your goals achievable and measurable.
However, when it comes to work, your monthly goal ideas will be much different than any other goals. This is why, to be motivated remind yourself of the rewards on progress.
It can be a promotion, bonus, appreciation at the workplace or simply skill acquisition to further your career, but if have been incentivized towards a work goal then possibility of achieving each monthly goal ideas becomes more realistic.
And always remember Stay Accountable With Goal Setting!
Monthly Dietary/Health Goal Ideas
Dietary goals can be the most hard to achieve because eating unhealthy is always the easier and more pleasurable option.
However, to be motivated, writing down motivational quotes, track your macros, talk to friends and ask a family member to join. In this way you can accomplish the unthinkable.
Break Down a Bigger Goal
Your monthly goal ideas cannot be major life goals, as one month is not enough time to be achieving life dreams.
However, you can make life dreams achievable as you break them into smaller milestones for each month and track progress.
How to Set Achievable Monthly Goals
To accomplish your goals, it is necessary that your monthly goals are achievable. To be able to do so, focus on short term gains, breakdown of long term goals and to create a support system that holds you accountable.
To accomplish monthly goals in a realistic way, keep reminding yourself:
To Hold Yourself Accountable!
Use the Smart Goals Framework
Before making goals for May, here is a brief overview on how to set achievable goals. Follow 5 steps:
S : Specific
Decrease my body fat ratio
M : Measurable
10% decrease in body fat
A : Achievable
Hire a personal trainer for planning
R : Relevant
My unhealthy lifestyle is causing increased BMI
T : Time Bound
By the end of May
April’s Top 3 List
Now coming onto May, you cannot create an achievable plan of improvement without looking back into your April.
This is why, before you do goal setting for May, take a look back at your April and create plans based on your answers.
To help you, make these 3 lists :
Top 3 Things I Was Grateful For In April
List down all the successes you had in April. Ask yourself what activity, action or thought has given me a sense that I accomplished a goal and then list down all the answers.
Examples for this list can be exercising routinely, eating at least one fruit/veg in a day or journaling a few times in the week.
Things That Didn’t Go As Well
To create a realistic plan of improvement, it is imperative that you also note any setbacks and failures you faced.
These can be having junk food over the weekend or feeling sick and not exercising 2 weeks in a row.
What Do I Want To Work On?
Now that you have a list of failures and successes from April, now focus on what thing you want to achieve in May.
It can be that after focusing on personal goals in April, you choose to focus on professional goals in May. Or else, you can also shift focus on setbacks’ list and create a plan for May.
FAQ’s
What Are The 5 Smart Goals?
Smart goals are those that are realistic and achievable. Here is a list of 5 smart goals that can be used to get started:
To become fit
To read more
To reflect more
Mental wellness
Professional goals
What Are Good Monthly Goals?
Keyword for monthly goals to remember is that they must be acquired, achieved or finished within 3 to 4 weeks.
Anything more long term is not a monthly goals and requires milestones that can be achieved through each month. A few examples of monthly goals are:
Writing a gratitude/wellness journal
Setting a date night
Trying out a new recipe each week
Cleaning out the closet before summers
Waking up early morning to get the day sorted
What Is The Goal Of May 2022?
The focus for this year has to be travel and adventure. Finally, as covid is behind us and all possible restrictions have been removed, it is finally time to plan some travel alone or with the family.
What Are The 5 Life Goals?
If monthly goals are too short term and you are looking for major goals to incorporate into your life, then life goals are an effective way to start.
Life goals are long term, requiring long term attention and gains are also set to benefit you for the long term.
Here are a few:
Home-work balance
Being comfortable in your body
Educating one self
Turning your passions into a career
Traveling and learning
What Are Examples Of Goals?
To give you a generic answer, a goal is any desired end result you want to see. So, as many people there are on the planet, there can be twice or even thrice as many goals.
To get started, take an evaluation into your likes, wants, desires, and where you are and where you want to be.
However, if this is too complicated, then here are a few goals to have for personal and professional wellbeing:
Reading more books
Learning a new language
Volunteering in a social care facility
Caring for a pet
Savings and financial goals
After reading this article, we hope that you have a better understanding of setting goals in general, as well as goal setting for the month of May.
An important point to consider, irrespective, is to set goals that are personalised to your needs and wants, rather than doing something because your friends or family are into it.