Conquering your Goals: Celebrating Milestones
Hi everyone! I hope you are doing well. This week in our Conquering Your Goals series we are talking about celebrating milestones. Most of our goals in life can take time, sometimes it can feel like we have nothing to celebrate until we fully complete our goal. This can encourage us to rush towards our finish line and be disheartened when inevitable setbacks or delays come our way. One way to get out of the all-or-nothing mindset and appreciate progress over perfection is to celebrate milestones.
A milestone is a significant point or achievement along the journey toward completing a larger goal. Milestones break down a goal into smaller, more manageable tasks or achievements, providing opportunities to measure progress, celebrate success, and maintain motivation.
Examples of milestones in goal setting include:
- Completing a key task: For example, writing the first chapter of a book.
- Reaching a percentage of the goal: Such as losing 10% of a total weight loss or gain goal.
- Completing part of the goal: Reaching a 1-mile run every week on your journey towards doing 5-mile runs every week.
- Doing something for X days: Meditating for 7 days
- Reaching a new streak: Logging steps for 30 days in a row.
Breaking bigger goals into milestones
Example: Reduce time spent on screens to 1 hour everyday outside of work.
Possible milestones
- Time tracked every day for 15 days
- Reduced screen time by 30 minutes per day from the baseline.
- Read a book instead of being on the phone before bed for 7 days
Ways to Celebrate
In most cases, you can celebrate the way you celebrate most of your accomplishments. For some people this means getting a sweet treat, for others, it calls for a facial or a pedicure, etc. However, you need to be mindful of not celebrating in a way that feeds the habit you are trying to break. For example, don’t celebrate weight loss by binging for a day. Similarly, don’t celebrate reduced screen time by watching a Netflix series or meeting a money-saving milestone by going shopping.
Here are some ideas:
- Treat yourself to new clothes to reach a weight loss or gain goal
- Go for a movie to celebrate reaching 10,000 steps every day for 7 days.
- Invest in your new hobby to reduce your screen time by 1 hour (getting a new paintbrush)
- Develop a personal ritual that you perform every time you reach a milestone.
📣Tasks for you
For the goals you’ve set, think about three key milestones you’re excited to reach. For each milestone, describe:
- The Milestone: What is the specific achievement or progress point you’re aiming for?
- How You’ll Celebrate: What meaningful or enjoyable activity will you do to celebrate reaching this milestone?
This post is part of the Conquering Your Goals Series. Check out all the posts here.
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@Hope
"appreciate progress over perfection"
I love this.
@Hope
My Goal: Pass my Data Analyst Certification Exam by Thursday
My Milestone #1 - Study and work in 25-minute segments with a 10 minute break
My Milestone #2 - View all of the training videos and take notes
My Milestone #3 - Complete the free training guides with at least 800 out of 1000 possible points.
My Celebration - Create a portfolio of data dashboards that you can bring to a job interview and enjoy the feeling of confidence that you can recreate these dashboards with any data set.
I really appreciate this post, breaking things down to make it easier to understand and perform tasks, and to see progress. I struggle with recognizing progress as being anything more than what is required to reach the end, so this is helpful.
Since purchases as rewards isn't really an option for me, does anyone have any ideas about how to develop a personal ritual to perform every time one achieves a step towards their goal?
I don't really have purchases as an option, either.
What do you like? Do you have a favorite movie you own? Do you have a favorite set of pajamas? Do you have a favorite blanket?
(I also struggle recognizing progress and enjoying and trusting the process... you're not alone.)
I like to make myself a snack I really like, a mindful snack that's reasonably healthy, or a cup of coffee. I sit and sip or taste the snack or coffee slowly, without distractions, looking out the window and just focusing on that thing. That's just the ritual I like to do, but maybe it will give you some inspiration or ideas :)
@Zeraphim
A reward can be anything you'd rather do.
For example, when it is cold and wet, walking the dogs is a chore. But when it is bright and sunny and I have to do cleaning, I'd much prefer to walk the dogs. So, on a bright sunny day, i make walking the dogs my reward for cleaning.
So just think about what you prefer to do instead of the thing you need to do. And then give yourself permission to do the preferred thing, after you have done the less preferred thing.
I love that you segmented everything into parts so it feels less intimidating and suggested reward ideas!
@Hope
I do this all the time and I love it.
This weekend I set myself the job to put away the summer stuff. Which involves lots of cleaning, lugging heavy stuff around, and picking things up off the ground. All stuff me and my back hates.
Plus its sad cos it means summer is over.
So I break it down into bits. And reward myself with allowing myself to take a break or do something else. Clean this, and I can have lunch. Put that away and take a rest while answering a 7 cups post. Pick all those up, wide them over and put in their box, and then take the dogs for a walk. Mop that and take a 5 minute break standing to admire how much better it looks, while doing a stretch.
It means it takes the whole weekend to do it. When I could probably do it in one day at a push. But it gets done with less pain, both mental and physical.
@Hope
For the goals you’ve set, think about three key milestones you’re excited to reach. For each milestone, describe:
- The Milestone: What is the specific achievement or progress point you’re aiming for?-------------------->Reducing my time spent on phone to 45 minutes a day.
- How You’ll Celebrate: What meaningful or enjoyable activity will you do to celebrate reaching this milestone?---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> Crochet in my free time.
The Milestone: What is the specific achievement or progress point you’re aiming for? Going on adventures in new places
How You’ll Celebrate: What meaningful or enjoyable activity will you do to celebrate reaching this milestone? Each new place I've visited is a reward all it's self. I have seen some truly amazing and beautiful places and creating some wonderful memories
@Hope
For the goals you’ve set, think about three key milestones you’re excited to reach. For each milestone, describe:
The Milestone: What is the specific achievement or progress point you’re aiming for?
How You’ll Celebrate: What meaningful or enjoyable activity will you do to celebrate reaching this milestone?
Milestone 1: First week of less than 30 minutes a day of YouTube Shorts. An example of how I would like to celebrate is by treating myself to an extra dessert at home.
Milestone 2: Second week of less than 30 minutes a day of YouTube Shorts. How I would like to celebrate is by watching a show I have not had the time to watch otherwise.
Milestone 3: Third week of less than 30 minutes a day of YouTube Shorts. I could celebrate by treating myself to a meal at a restaurant I have wanted to try.
@Hope
The Milestone: What is the specific achievement or progress point you’re aiming for?
Learning a language for 30 minutes a day.
How You’ll Celebrate: What meaningful or enjoyable activity will you do to celebrate reaching this milestone?
Making myself my favorite drink!
