How To Set Your Relationship Goals With Goal Setting Tactics
Goal-setting tactics can help you set and maintain successful relationships.
-Achieving consistent results -Identifying your personal goals -Writing a plan using SMART objectives -Setting time limits on daily tasks
This article will teach you how to use goal setting tactics to establish, maintain, and improve a relationship. By making simple adjustments in your day-to-day life, you'll be able to go from just meeting someone for the first time to building a life together that lasts decades and shapes the future of humanity. That's because successful relationships require planning and work towards a common goal. The relationship goals that you set should align with your personal goals, however, it's important to remember that most of your personal goals will be related to your relationship. As an example, if you want a successful career and advanced education, the person you marry should have the ability to support you in this.
So how do you set relationship goals that align?
There are three steps:
1. Take out a sheet of paper (or open up a document on your computer) and write down all of your personal and relationship-related goals for the next 3 years. For example: "Get a promotion at work", "Complete my Master's Degree", "Buy a new home". Anything that you want to do in the next 3 years should be written.
2. For each objective, identify what it will take to achieve that goal. Be specific and write down the action steps needed to accomplish each task and the person or people responsible for completing those tasks. This is where you identify who you need in your life to help you accomplish your goals (more on this later).
3. Finally, schedule time on your calendar to work towards accomplishing each goal and assign tasks specifically to yourself and other people in your life. Also, be sure that there are no conflicts with other obligations such as work or school. For example, if you need to get your Master's Degree in order to land a high paying job, it's probably not a good idea to do that in the same year that you're expecting to get married and have children.
You can also use this tactic when planning the rest of your life by identifying goals related to school and work. However, these are more complicated because they not only involve you, but also include other people in your life such as teachers, classmates, associates and professors.
So how do you use this strategy with someone else? Specifically with a loved one/spouse? First, ask yourself if you are going through a bad patch. That is when relationship goals will come into play. These goals will help you determine whether or not to work through the trouble, or move on and start a relationship with someone else.
1. Take out a sheet of paper and write down all of your goals for the next 3 years. Now, put yourself in a situation where you are married to the person who is in front of you and write down what your future goals are if you decide to stay together.
2. Again for each objective, identify what it will take to achieve that goal. Be specific and write down the action steps needed to accomplish each task and the person or people responsible for completing those tasks. For example: "Get a promotion at work", "Learn how to play guitar so I can perform at the next family gathering" or "Buy a new home".
3. Schedule time on your calendar to work towards accomplishing each goal and assign tasks specifically to yourself and other people in your life.
Important people in your life should be identified along with those that are critical to your relationship goals. This may include the person you live with, best friend, siblings, parents, neighbors and employers. These individuals will not only help you achieve your goals for the immediate future, but also for the future that involves them and is dependent on their assistance.
So now that you have your goals, it's time to take action towards achieving them.
1. Identify daily tasks that you can accomplish right away and schedule those over a short period of time (15 minutes is usually enough). Examples might be "Take out the trash", "Clean up the kitchen", or "Write a letter to my boss". These tasks should be taken care of immediately if they need to be done (or if you have any hopes of making it to your next appointment), but should not interfere with other things that need to be done in order for you to achieve your goals. Make sure whatever it is you decide to do does not take more than 15 minutes.
2. Assign tasks to the people in your life that need to be done. Make sure they know when and where they need to do it as well as what they're expected to do. An example of this would be "Liz, I need you here at 7 o'clock tomorrow morning to help me prepare for an interview" (that way you know she'll arrive on time).
3. Finally, make sure that you meet your deadlines. The only exception might be if something happens unexpectedly and you have no other choice but to reschedule the task for another time when the situation has been resolved. Setting realistic goals is important, so it's best not to set a deadline that is too short or too long. Thirty days is usually a good timeframe for most tasks because it allows enough time to complete the task without rushing.
Assuming you've set realistic goals and you're meeting your deadlines, there shouldn't be a need to go back to Step #1 and consider ending your current relationship. However, if your circumstances change and you feel that they will significantly impact the success of your goal(s), then it might be time to go back to Step #1 and re-evaluate whether or not staying in this relationship is a good idea.
Using this relationship goal-setting strategy allows you to define timeframes within which to achieve your objectives. This way you can have control over your actions and make sure that nothing interrupts the pace at which you're working towards achieving your goals. This is very important especially if you are expecting something significant (e.g. a promotion, better paying job, etc.) in the next few years. By setting realistic goals with the correct period of time within which they will be achieved, those goals won't seem too overwhelming and will allow more room for peace and celebration along the way.
Conclusion
Any goal can be achieved if you have the energy needed to overcome any obstacles that may obstruct your path.
In order to do this, it's important that you don't overthink the process. Don't make assumptions about how much time it will take you to reach your goal or even whether or not you'll achieve it at all (the success of your goals is a guarantee). When setting goals, keep in mind that there are other people out there who have a hand in them. It's important that they don't set these same goals and expect them to be presented in the same form as yours.