How To Write Your Goals For A Balanced Life

At the end of the year or the start of the year, did you write down your goals? How are the new year’s goals going? No longer on track. You are not alone.
At about two months into the year, mid February, research shows 80% of people fail at keeping their goals.
At six months, in June, research shows only 40% of people who set New Year resolutions are still working towards their goals.

The reason people fail at keeping their goals is not planning their goals correctly at the start. Their goals are more of a wish than a target with a plan of action.

I like to set goals in different areas of my life as to aim to have some balance across the different domains of my life.

How to categorise work-life balance goals?

Work-life balance goals need to fall into categories because when focus only on one area of life will throw you off balance. Albert Einstein’s quote ‘Life is like a bicycle to keep your balance you must keep moving’ refers to a wheel’.

A balanced wheel of life will have five to eight areas of focus. Some example areas of the wheel of life are;

• Business/career
• Relationships
• Family
• Health
• Financial
• Personal Growth
• Spiritual
• Lifestyle

Take a pen and a piece of paper and write up categories of your life. Think about your week and how you spend your time.

If you were to assess each area of your life, would it be in balance? Draw a circle with the number of spokes you have for areas in your life, between five and eight. Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being low and 10 being high. Make on the circle where you are in each area of your life.

Life does not need to be a perfect circle, that is near impossible, however, if one part is neglected it may affect other areas.

Why it is important to write down your goals to have a balanced life.

The reason it is so important to write down your goals to have a balanced life is what is the point in having the most beautiful home if you do not have the health to enjoy it. To focus only on one area of life can lead to unhappiness or lack in other areas.

• Business/Carrer/Job; No job or no clients if self-employed can lead to a lack of finances to pay the bills.
• Financial; No money to pay bills can lead to no place to call home.
• Relationships; No friends or community can lead to loneliness and no one to talk to which effects mentality.
• Family; No time for family can lead to problems like separation, dysfunction and blame, which can lead to a relationship, family, lifestyle and financial difficulties.

As you can see the wheel of life requires goals in all areas in order to be balanced.

For me, lifestyle is a big thing. Not in a materialistic way as I’m far from materialistic. I enjoy a wide variety of activities across all life domains. As I believe I did not come into this life to just work on someone else’s dreams, I believe it is possible to live a fulfilled life by helping others, helping the family, helping friends, helping you, and helping people be all they can be.

How to write down your goals for a balanced life?

Have a little think for a moment ‘What do you want, I mean, what do you really, really want?

The question I asked myself as I visualised my ideal day. “If money was no barrier, what would I choose to do, who would I choose to help?”
For me, it is the freedom of choice of how to spend my time, and my days and to live a healthy balanced life, so I can help others develop the skills and qualities they need to enhance their lives.
My mission is to help women find the power within themselves to rediscover their passions and start taking action towards their life’s goals.

Naturally, asking the one question above is not going to provide you with all the answers you need. Therefore ask yourself the below questions to get a clearer vision of your goals so you can start working to balance your life domains.

1. How much do I want to make each month?
2. How will I make the money I want to make each month? Is it by working for someone else? Is it by working for myself? Will I sell a product? or will I offer a service? Will I promote other people’s products?
3. Where do I want to live?
4. What sort of home do I want to create?
5. How about relationships what kind would I like, how do I want to feel in these relationships?
6. What new skills do I want to learn? Are they hobby related? Are they business-related?
7. What big goal would I like to accomplish in each area of my wheel of life if money was not an issue?
8. What is important to me, as what is important to me is what I’ll focus on?

Now it is your turn. Take a blank piece of paper and a pen. Ask yourself the few questions above so you can set goals for work-life balance.

Related post: Life Goal Examples: The Ultimate Guide to Life Goals with Core Values List

Now you have written about what you would like to achieve, look at your life domains and decide on a goal for one of them.

Writing Your Goals For A More Balanced Life.

There are multiple ways to write a goal. You could simply write the goal you wish to achieve. Alternatively, you could write a goal statement.

How to write a goal statement.

To write a goal statement it is good to use the S.M.A.R.T format.
Specific – your goal is detailed.
Measurable – your goal is quantifiable so you can track your progress.
Attainable – your goal is realistic.
Relevant – your goal aligns with your vision.
Timebound – Your goal has a deadline.

A goal statement includes;

• action verb. To replace
• quantifiable and measurable statement – What – my income
• timebound deadline – By November 2020
• what the outcome will do for you – So that – I can work from home and travel with my husband while serving and helping women create and master habits to achieve their goals.

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Example of how to reach a goal.

Goals are achieved through smaller actions.
Looking at one of life’s areas.
Choose your big goal for that area. Break the big goal down into small steps.
I’m using starting a home business as an example, a goal in the business category of life.

Big goal: Start a home business

Every big goal has small steps to get there.

A marathon runner doesn’t start as a marathon runner they start running shorter distances and increasing the run lengths as they develop the skills and the ability to run a marathon.

Starting a home business is no different from learning to run a marathon. There are multiple steps to take and learn before you start a home business.

Take your pen and paper write the answer to the below questions.

• What would you like to do for work from home?
• Is your home business a physical business from home or online business?
• Is your home businesses serving people, businesses or selling a product?
• List your passions, why you would like to do this?
• Think back to the question; what would you do if money was not an issue for you?
• Who do you admire in business and why?

Now the clarification of the big goal is complete let’s break this goal down.

• Research your business idea.
• Check the legalities of your business for the country you are living in.
• Choose your unique business name
• Register your business.
• Define your target audience.
• Set yourself up for your home business.
• Write your business plan.
• Promote your services to people you know.
• Start marketing your business. If you have a website include a work with me page or services page to promote your business or link to your shop and products.

The above is just a few ideas and steps to get you started on working towards your goal of starting a home business. Choose one step and take action towards it in the next 1-5 days.

With each of your work-life balance goals define the big goal and break it down into steps. Some things in your life will be on maintenance as you have habits that keep this area in balance. Other areas of life will need action to work towards a goal and the development of skills to bring that area of life into balance. With all goals to maintain momentum, you need to keep moving to keep the balance.

Here are 5 steps to help you progress forward with your goals for a balanced life.

1. Training wheels – when you learn to cycle you often learn to balance with training wheels as your support. In life this is no different, you crawl before you can walk.

Research and learn the skills you need to develop into becoming the person you would like to be in each area of your life.

In starting a home business example. Research what skills you need for your business and start learning and implementing those skills.

2. Vision – When cycling you need to keep your eyes focused on the direction you are going as not to crash into a tree and fall.

In business, you need to create a business plan and keep your eyes on your end goal, your mission and your vision.

3. Fall – When learning to cycle you may fall and need to get up and try again.

There are many times in business when failing takes place. The importance of failing is remembering by failing you are one step closer as you learnt one thing that did not work. Implement new changes and focus again on the end goal.

4. Swerve – When cycling while learning or as an expert moving around obstacles and keeping balance becomes a way of life.

There will be obstacles to be stepped around, over or through. See obstacles as new opportunities, something to learn or something learnt.

5. Skills – The more you cycle the more confident you become. This is the same in business the more you develop the skills, the more you take action the more confident you become in your business.

Education is a continual process, it’s like a bicycle… If you don’t pedal you don’t go forward. 

George Weah

Remember how you learnt to ride a bike. You learnt by doing. Big goals are no different. Write down your goals for a balanced life. Break them into smaller steps and take daily action towards them.

For goal success track using a tracking system the daily action, you take as you make progress towards your life’s goals.

Be positive. It is possible to create a lifestyle and business that you’ll love by following leaders, receiving guidance from mentors, developing skills and being guided on how to achieve work-life balance with the help of a supportive community.