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How To Set Realistic Goals

If you’ve been reading here for a while you may notice that I post a list of monthly goals each month. The next month on my monthly goals post I recap the month before. I also do a yearly goals post at the beginning of each year. One reason I do this is to be held accountable. Another reason is that I think it’s important to have goals to strive towards. No matter how big or small, goals are important. One question I get asked a lot is how do I mostly accomplish them all. The key is to set realistic goals. Today I am sharing how to set realistic goals and why.

 

How To Set Realistic Goals

Know what you want to accomplish: For yearly goals, I tend to have an idea of the bigger things I want to accomplish. For example, maybe I want to read 60 books, well that can easily be divided into 12 months and I can make realistic monthly goals to achieve that bigger yearly goal. Or maybe I want to declutter our entire house so I set aside one room, or area in the house each month over the course of the year. Or if I want to knock 30 things off of my 101 in 1001 list I can have a few a month.

Know the steps to get there: As I mentioned above if I have a bigger yearly goal I can take steps to get to those. For goals, I have during the month, for example, getting the next month’s blog posts scheduled I know that means I need to sit down and write a little bit each day. Having that mindset at the beginning of each month really helps me structure my weeks.

Set baby steps: If you know how to get there as I mentioned above then the baby steps part is easy. Know that you need to divide longer yearly goals into months, then those into weeks, and maybe even daily to-do list goals. If I want to work out 6 days a week all month then that breaks down into each week and even each day. If I want to read a certain amount of books, or walk a certain amount of miles, again you can break that down into smaller baby step goals.

Build up to it: This goes hand in hand with everything said above you have to build up to these things. When you set out to set realistic goals you have to have a plan. You can’t just decide after never working out I am going to run a marathon next month. No, you maybe run a 5K, then a 10K, then a half marathon, and so forth. I have lots of friends who have done this.

Hold yourself accountable: At the end of the day, you have to hold yourself accountable which is why I write my goals publicly on my blog, to begin with. I am not worried someone is going to judge me for not completing a goal, but it’s a good way to hold myself accountable.

I hope you found this post about how to set realistic goals helpful! I am a big fan of monthly, yearly, and even sometimes daily and weekly goals. I think they always help us long-term to reach our ultimate goals.

How do you set realistic goals for yourself?

This post was originally published in 2019 and has been updated for 2024. 

Leave a Comment

47 Comments

  1. One of the things I admire the most about you is your ability to set goals and achieve them – love your monthly goals posts! So this is great! Thanks Neely! 💕✨

    Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
    http://charmainenyw.com

    Published 6.19.19
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  2. This is so true! I work with women as a relationship coach and setting a goal, writing it down is such an effective step to actually then realising how you can get from here to there. Thanks for this great post! Love coffee too. 🙂

    Published 6.19.19
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  3. Joline wrote:

    I’m most definitely a goal setter. And it’s really important to celebrate the little victories as much as the big ones.

    Published 6.19.19
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  4. Stephanie wrote:

    I love setting goals and also try to make them realistic. I find baby steps work, as well as writing out what it will take to achieve the goal. My goals are usually ones that are a bit of a stretch so it isn’t just a to-do list, but also something I can get done if I set my mind to it.

    Published 6.19.19
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  5. Bree wrote:

    I try to set realistic goals! I think build up is important. Baby steps if you will. You have great advice here!

    Published 6.19.19
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  6. Chad wrote:

    Yes i can’t agree more with you! It is not just about setting goals, the goals will need to be actionable and realistic. Great post.

    Published 6.19.19
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  7. I love setting goals and I feel so motivated satisfied when I get to accomplish those goals. I always set both long and short term goals and I reward myself whenever I get to achieve that goal.

    Published 6.20.19
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  8. aisasami wrote:

    I agree, taking baby steps towards your goal is very important as it is better to trend towards to the goal than to run.

    Published 6.20.19
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  9. Setting goals for yourself that is achievable are important. Having unrealistic goals not only keeps your under pressure but also demotivates you

    Published 6.20.19
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  10. Courtney wrote:

    Ooooo great advice!!!!! I’m al about setting goals! Setting realistic goals is important if you actually want to accomplish things

    Published 6.20.19
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  11. Christa wrote:

    Yes! I think it’s so important to set reasonable goals and take the steps to get there. Realistic goals are more attainable.

    Published 6.20.19
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  12. Rosey wrote:

    Holding yourself accountable really does matter. I heard someone say if you don’t write a goal down, it’s just a wish. I always write mine down now. It helps.

    Published 6.20.19
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  13. I like setting goals and also try to make them realistic. It is not just about setting goals, the setting goals for our that is achievable are important. I always set my goals. Thank you for sharing with us.

    Published 6.21.19
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  14. I’m 100% a goal setter. Having goals makes me motivated- they’re so important for me to succeed! Sometimes I need to make my goals more time-realistic so I’m not setting myself up to fail & feel rubbish afterwards!

    Published 6.21.19
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  15. Holly wrote:

    Having goals that are attainable is definitely an important step to being productive. It’s important not to set goals that are too high!

    Published 6.21.19
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  16. I need this a lot! Thank you

    Published 6.22.19
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  17. Stacy wrote:

    Love your ideas. Taking baby steps is how I try to reach my goals. Breaking the goal down into pieces that are easier to reach makes it less stressful in the long run

    Published 1.10.22
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  18. Yes! Love these tips! Taking baby steps is something that’s often overlooked, but it makes achieving your goals that much easier, and helps break things down in a way that’s realistic! Thanks for sharing!

    Published 1.10.22
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  19. Maureen wrote:

    These are great tips! What works for me with my goals are the baby steps. I used to make goals and feel so disappointed when I didn’t quite make it. Since then, I have employed the baby steps technique and this really helps me see the big picture.

    Maureen

    Published 1.10.22
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  20. Jennifer Prince wrote:

    Taking baby steps and building up to it is SO important. It’s easy to fail if you try to leap there, but small steps can make it so much more manageable. Great tips!

    Published 1.10.22
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  21. I think the most important thing when setting goals is to make sure they are realistic. Otherwise, things become hard to achieve.

    Published 1.10.22
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  22. This is very helpful information. I am a goal setter. However, I have gotten out of the habit of writing out the goals. I do tell my husband so that at least I’ve said them out loud. So one of my goals is to work on a planner/journal.

    Published 1.10.22
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  23. Am I a good goal setter? I am … Do I set goals? Not really. I usually feel like my goals end up being more stressful than I need to get things done…if that makes sense. I may need to try it again after reading your post though. I’m inspired… again. LOL

    Published 1.10.22
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  24. Great post! I am a goal setter but until this year I haven’t taken my goals too seriously. But I have big plans this year 🙂

    Published 1.10.22
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  25. Marysa wrote:

    It is good to think about setting realistic goals especially when it is the time of year that people tend to make resolutions, which often don’t happen. These are useful tips.

    Published 1.10.22
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  26. Lucy Ivan wrote:

    No, I am not a goal setter because I usually can’t accomplish them, especially the yearly goals. Thanks for the steps! They sound not so difficult! I definitely should try it on your way!

    Published 1.11.22
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  27. Great tips! I thought it would be easy to set goals but need to practice setting real and goals that help us to be successful.

    Published 1.11.22
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  28. It’s the best time of the year to set realistic goals!

    Published 1.11.22
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  29. Always start with realizing and knowing what you want to accomplish. And be specific

    Published 1.11.22
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  30. I am a goal setter! And I loved this post

    Published 1.11.22
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  31. Nyxie wrote:

    Wonderful advice. It’s all about wee baby steps to me. If I try and do too much, too quickly, I get overwhelmed.

    Published 1.11.22
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  32. Claudia wrote:

    I love to set myself accountable by sharing my goals with a friend.

    Published 1.11.22
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  33. Subarna wrote:

    Very true, to achieve some target we need to set realistic goals. And taking baby steps towards our goal is really fruitful.

    Published 1.11.22
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  34. Great tips and couldn’t agree more. Baby steps are so important. Taking small actionable steps means a much greater likelihood of success.

    Published 1.11.22
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  35. Kristy Bullard wrote:

    I’m going to use this for my 2022 fitness goals. Sometimes my goals are more than I can handle and I get overwhelmed. I need to start small and work my way up to the bigger goals.

    Published 1.11.22
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  36. Millie wrote:

    Great advice! I set goals, but I always struggle with them being either too high or too low. It’s hard to get the right balance but you have given us excellent tips for setting realistic goals.

    Published 1.11.22
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  37. Stephanie wrote:

    I typically find myself only setting goals for my work, which probably isn’t the most healthy thing ever, but it’s just the truth. I’d love to find ways to set goals in my personal life – but truthfully, I don’t even know what my goals are. I have to really sit down and think about these things soon.

    Published 1.11.22
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  38. I am usually a goal setter but haven’t been last year as I had a lot going on and so many interruptions. I am hoping to get back on track this year to set my goals and be more organized. Thank you for sharing these goals tips, definitely helpful! ❤️

    Published 1.11.22
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  39. These are great tips. I make sure I put timelines so it will be realistic. I also adjust my goals if necessary.

    Published 1.12.22
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  40. Thena Franssen wrote:

    Great tips. Baby steps are key towards hitting your goals! Love that advice!

    Published 1.12.22
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  41. Amanda wrote:

    These goal setting tips are spot on! I find that many people create huge lofty goals with no clear steps on how to work toward and achieve them. I love reading your monthly goal posts!

    Published 1.12.22
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  42. Yes, I am a goal setter….but not on the regular. I love breaking down mine into very small ones and scoring one at a time till I make it to the biggest main one.

    Published 1.13.22
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  43. These are such great tips! I think it’s so important to break down goals, sometimes even to the day! I’m all about dreaming big, but sometimes it can be too overwhelming to try to do too much all at once.

    Published 1.14.22
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  44. Nighan wrote:

    Setting goal managing time to flow it this is not big deal for us but our task begin with the difficulties to not to consistent with the routine

    Published 2.18.22
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  45. Eda wrote:

    I always set my goals. It may not just be about setting goals, but the ones you want to achieve! I love setting goals–in a way that is achievable for us. It’s not all about the ability to set goals, but also hope in achieving it.

    Eda

    Published 4.10.22
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  46. Great info.

    Published 1.17.24
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