Spinning your Wheels? Maybe you have too many goals.

Well, we’re a couple of weeks into the new year. How are those resolutions doing?  According to research conducted by Strava (social network for athletes), most of us will abandon our efforts by January 19. In fact that day has been coined, Quitters Day.

There are lots of reasons for this; unrealistic goals, unmeasurable goals, or setting too many goals. Setting too many goals is something that doesn’t get a lot of attention but is something I’ve experienced many times.  In a fervor to be successful, I excitedly set a long list of goals.  Soon after, I feel overwhelmed, like I’m spinning in circles and not very successful. The good news is that there’s some fantastic research out there that provides helpful guidance. In the book, The End of Competitive Advantage, author Rita McGrath explores how to avoid the trap of too many goals. Here are a few practices that I use to help me stop spinning my wheels, get some traction, and crush my goals.

1.     Look for overlaps. Sometimes there is a natural and logical relationship between goals. Suppose you want to get healthier and to have more leisure time. Taking time out for active leisure like tennis or running will accomplish both goals at once.

Sometimes two goals seem to be in direct opposition to each other, like wanting to travel and having more time at home. In this case, write out both goals and next to each of them write out why you want to do each of them. You might find that what you want is to be away from work. In this case, your real goal might be to change careers. Or, you might discover that you can satisfy your desire for travel with a short vacation or a long drive with the family. Digging into why that goal is important to you will provide the clarity that you’re seeking. Get to the essence of the goal, and they’ll work themselves out.

2.     Make the time. We tell ourselves there are "only so many hours in a day," and that we're "too busy" to take on anything else right now. Your time is precisely that – yours. 
Instead of saying “I don’t have time to learn a language,” try saying, “How can I make time to learn a new language.” We find the time for the things that matter.

3.     Be flexible. It’s a good thing to put a timeline together and have definite dates and time-sensitive goals. But remember that life happens, and often it even gets in the way. There is an ancient Greek saying that goes: “If you want to make the gods laugh, tell them your plans.” Having milestones and plotting points along the timeline is good, but don’t hold yourself to it so rigidly that you cannot adapt to the occasional curve-ball.

If it feels to you like you have too many goals or if the ones you do have are fighting each other, then find the essence of each one. That will help you determine what’s most important to you right now. Then work on one goal at a time. By concentrating on which one means the most to you right now, you’ll put those goals into perspective, until they don’t seem overwhelming anymore.

3 practical tips to gaining traction on your goals.