
How To Set your Goals and Successfully Achieve Them
If you are like me, someone obsessed by the productivity and planning? Then, this post is for you.
It’s evident that everyone has life goals and projects, whether they are planned for short or long term. I’m sure you all have projects for next week, month or even years!
Do you want to travel the world? Do you want to be financially independent? Or go to live in Thailand? YOU can do it! Whatever it is, everything is achievable!
If you are wondering how you can set and reach your goals, here are my 7 golden rules to follow.
Disclaimer : This post may include affiliate links!

1. Define and set your SMART goals
If you want to really achieve your goals, you firstly need to set them correctly. This is the key!
Whether you have multiple small dreams or ONE big, start by writing them down on a paper, this will help you to well define them and will like wring your brain and get a clear idea of what you really want to achieve. I usually write all my ideas on my journal before the beginning of a new year or month, this is super important for me!
If you are more digital than me, you can use your phone or write on your computer/tablet, just keep them visible to remember them every day 😉
Now, you have to articulate your ideas into achievable SMART goals,
But what’s a S.M.A.R.T goal?
Specific:
If you want to reach a specific results, then your goal must be specific, well defined, and much clear as possible. If you want to live from you blog, your goals might be like :
- Quit my 9-5 job by 31 December
- Generate a full time revenue from my blog before June
Measurable :
This one is very important because you always need to check if you are progressing or not, if you are close or not to your target.
Ask yourself how can you measure the achievement: How much? How many?
Some examples:
- Post every Monday morning on my blog
- Reach 1 000 followers on instagram by the end of June
Achievable :
Don’t set big goals that are not achievable in the laps of time and with the resources you have (or will have). This will demotivate you and you risk to easily give up.
At the same time, your goal must be ambitious to stimulate your desire and motivate you to go after them.
- if you create you instagram page this month, you can’t expect to get 100 000 followers by the end the 1st week!! This is just not achievable and not smart!
To be achievable, your goals must depend only on YOU, your capacity and resources, not on other people.
Relevant :
For sure your goal must be relevant to your dream and aligned with what you want to win and what really matters to you.
Time based :
To be smart, your goal must have a time target. Decide on a deadline to focus on by answering the question: When ? How long will it take me to reach this goal?
In our previous example, we expect to reach 1 000 followers on Instagram by the end of June, so I have a deadline to achieve this target and then I can work and adapt my plan accordingly.

2. Break down your goals into mini goals
As your goals are now Smart, it should be easier to break them down and create small goals.
Achieving mini goals and celebrate them 😉 will be easier than focusing only on one big goal that seems hard and long to reach, it’s terrifying and this feeling can demotivate you.
If your goal is to earn 1 000 $ online this month, then you can break it down like this :
- Make 250 $ every week
- Make 500 $ from my blog, 250$ from Twitter and 250$ from Pinterest
- Make 100$ from Ads, 400$ from my Ebook, 200$ from sponsorship and 300$ from my online course.
You can then divide your mini goals into smaller ones if this’s easier for you, just make them smart again (achievable and ambitious).
To be honest, that what I personally do! I prefer reach small goals every day, then by the end of the week/month my big goal will be achieved without big worries 😉
3. Create your action plan for each mini goal :
“A goal without plan is just a dream!”
Next step after breaking down your goals is to plan your actions to actually achieve them.
Answer the question: How can I reach my target? What actions can help me to get closer to my goal everyday?
Habits are powerful, create habits and stick to them, figure out when you are most productive in your day and then plan the actions that need concentration and energy. What do you like to do first in the morning when you start your work? And what do you prefer to do in the afternoon?
I personally plan all my important stuff in the morning, as writing my blog posts, this task is key for my blog success so I do it first when my brain is fresh (It takes me more time than the average as I need to check my English grammar and vocabulary every time, here’s why). Otherwise, I plan the fun and creative tasks for the afternoon or evening, like creating graphics for Pinterest, promoting on Twitter and Facebook or planning my future content.
Schedule your action plan in your agenda and take note of all the deadlines you have to meet. I plan my actions on a weekly bases, then I create my daily to do list – Yes! I’m obsessed with organisation and planning 😉
Get your Daily Planner to stay organized everyday and much closer to your goals!
4. Track your progress and check your mini goals :
It’s important to track your actions and set metrics and KPI to measure the achievement, you can use a check list to evaluate your progress every week or month.
Every Sunday or end of month, deep dive into your stats and your earnings, make sure to figure out what you could be doing better for next time and capitalise on what actually works and brings you satisfaction. Then adjust your plan for next week/month accordingly.
Create small rewards to motivate yourself, if you reach your mini goal this week, then you can celebrate it with a dinner or a walk outside! Whatever makes you happy is good for keeping your motivation high.
5. Visualise your life as if you have already achieved your goals :
Act as if you have already reached your goals, feel this good feeling and visualise this new life!
- My blog makes 10 000 $ every month
- I have an engaged community on Instagram
- I successfully launched my new product
- I eat healthy meal every day
6. Be grateful :
In French we say : “Il y a des jours avec et des jours sans” which means “Not every day will be easy and glorious”, so you need stay motivated and remember what’s your ultimate purpose, what’s your “WHY”. That dream you desire to live!
Learn to put things into perspectives, this will help you to stay focus on your final goal and be convinced that tomorrow will be better! You have a strong plan and you’ll make it happen!
Look at around you and be grateful for what you have now and for the opportunities that you have and you are able to create.
7. Make decisions NOW to achieve your goals :
If you want to live your dream life, you have to take serious actions NOW and not later.
Be patient and don’t hope to achieve all what you want overnight. Your dreams require hard work, consistency and motivation! Believe me it always worth it, because you’re building your best life and creating the best version of yourself by being disciplined.

You CAN win if you want !! Remember that everything is achievable, just follow the right steps to get there!
How do you set your goals? Share your tips with us 😉
Get your 9 pages For Weekly and Daily Planning and make sure you track easily your goals and stay organized all the week.

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123 Comments
Corinne
Love this post! It’s so relevant to the new year, too. I often set SMART goals and in addition to your list, I also like to reward myself as I achieve a milestone, as seemingly tiny as they are.
Tiffany McCullough - Metaphysical Mama
Great post! I love how you have laid everything out for successful goal setting. Visualizing your goals as already being achieved is such an important step that so many people miss. Thanks for sharing this fabulous post!
claire chircop
I needed to read this today! So thank you for sharing on twitter. I’m motivated to make 2021 the year for me! Best of luck with your goals.
Claire.http://www.clairemac.co.uk
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Shikha
Thanks for your valuable tips, especially at the very beginning of the year.
April
I agree with mini-goals. I like all the ideas you have mentioned here, and it’s helpful to do it. But most importantly, we have to be patient in what we set to ourselves as sometimes the process is long.
Oli Good
Great post on how to achieve goals! For me is a problem with “Achievable” of my goals. Thank you for sharing your post. It really helps me a lot!
Johana
This is a great post! I think it’s so important to set smart goals and to set action plans to achieve them. This is exactly what we do in PR and Marketing, and I love how you changed that to make it personal!
Jen Tait
Great advice! Setting SMART goals is so important. I’ve recently published a blog post about money saving habits and setting SMART goals is a key point in that area too.
Baby Boomer Super Saver
I like your suggestion to cultivate gratitude. Keeping a gratitude journal is a wonderful way to reflect on the abundance in our lives and the accomplishments we’ve achieved (especially when they both seem remote in the moment).
Visualizing our accomplishments as if they are already achieved is another great suggestion. Thanks for the inspiration!
Stephanie
I really like the concept of breaking down goals into mini goals. I try to do that as often as possible in order to not get totally overwhelmed. It can be really stressful to think of everything big-picture when you’re just trying to get through the day. This post was super encouraging!
Aphila
Great tips these are very motivating to keep going. Thank you for sharing
Shikha
Goal setting is a must for those who want to progress smoothly in accomplishing the task. You have given awesome tips. Thanks.
MagicandBliss
I really like the look of your blog! Looks very pretty. About the post – I liked the use of SMART which I read during my MBA days. Very helpful post and can surely use some elements of it in my quest to promote my blog. Thank you!
Linz
Love this post! I always use smart goals, it helps to break it down into smaller achievable steps. I need to do more of the visualisation. Thanks for sharing!
Molly @ Transatlantic Notes
Oh, I loved this — I’ve been looking for some inspo and motivation to smash some goals! Thanks for sharing.
Brigit Pettit
YES! The power of SMART Goals. As a teacher, I try to engrain the importance of SMART goals into all of my students. We create so many classroom and individual goals to practice this. Great tips!
Päivi / Delight Digital Direction
This post is so motivational and I love the idea of mini-goals. It’s the secret to reach your main goals 😉 Thank you for sharing these tips to set goals and reaching them easily!
Tilly Haines
Funnily enough, as you mentioned, I’ve recently been acting more as though I’ve reached some of my goals – and actually it really did help things manifest I feel (or atleast that’s what I’m going with! haha). I’ve just secured a new job, which offers me so so much more financially, personally and professionally – but before I interviewed I really changed my attitude and mindset – then I interviewed amazingly and got the job!
I always struggle with knowing WHERE to write my goals down though… Like in a notebook? But will I ever open that notebook again? On my laptop? But then I’m worried that typing isn’t reaaally as effective as writing it with your own hand…
Richie
Excellent post. Did you know that, back in his Mr Olympia days, Arnold Schwarzenegger apparently used to visualise his biceps as huge mountains growing our of his upper arms? Visualisation seemed to work pretty well for him!
Liz Hartley
Love this post! I always set monthly goals and goals for the weak, I defo need to work on them being SMART goals so they are more achievable!
Ellie
I love this. So useful at the moment during these strange times whereby life has been turned on its head and I’ve found myself at a bit of a lost end with a lot of spare time and feeling very unproductive. Can’t wait to implement this
Emily Underworld
This is such a helpful post! SMART goals really are the way to achieve what you want. I’m working on it!
Daisy
This was such an interesting post! I love coming up with goals to help me achieve what I want, both in life and on my blog! Plus I heard all about SMART goals at university! Haha!
Daisy xoxo | According To Daisy
Paige
This is a great post; and I love how you included SMART goals – I first learnt about them in my first business lessons and thought it was a great method to use for all purposes of life. Thanks for breaking down all the steps – it makes it really easy to follow! Great post x
Paige // Paige Eades
Mamta Prasad
I really like this post. Thank you sharing such a great info, keep going.
Sarah Mark
A great post, I love mini goals it stops me from feeling overwhelmed and definitely makes me focus. I have a few lists and plans on the go and feel slowly I’m getting somewhere! A fab post thank you!
Sarah
http://Www.simplysarahjayneloves.com
Teresa
I wrote down my S.M.A.R.T goals in the Spring but then lockdown happened. Now that things are starting to open up again I’m slowly but surely returning to those goals and starting to break them down into smaller goals/tasks. Obviously my timeframe is already busted, but that’s fine, I was never a stickler for schedules anyway 🙂 This post is absolutely brilliant to start from when planning those big goals!
Teresa Maria | Outlandish Blog
Josie D.
This is so helpful! I love the SMART idea, it’s really genius. I was trying to figure out how to be more productive in setting up goals and this helps a bunch, thank you!
Eddie
Setting goals and targets is something I have recently started doing for my blogging. Thank you for sharing these. Will help make them more achievable but for setting more realistic goals.
Alexandra
Such a detailed and informational post. I read the whole content with great interest. It’s really surprising that a few months ago I started following similar tips and now I complete all my goals with ease. <3 thank you for sharing this piece with us.
Laura
Using the SMART method, breaking each goal down to a smaller goal and then tracking those goals is definitely the way to go with setting achievable goals and then actually doing the work to reach them!
– Laura // lauraorvokki.com
Mrs D
These are some great tips, breaking down your goals is a good one. I do long term (5 years), short term (1 year), monthly and then weekly. I look at my goals everyday and check things off as I go along. It really helps me be the best version of myself.
Great post as always
https://icanshowyoutheworld5.com
Serena
This is such a helpful post! I love the idea of breaking down your goals and acting like you’ve already achieved them!
Aastha Sharma
These are some nice tips to follow. I will try to do as many as I can 😊
Kat T
Great post! I am always writing to do lists and finding I’m struggling to keep up with them because I put every single little thing down!
Renee
Absolutely true about being grateful for what you’ve already achieved, so often we move on too quickly and forget to appreciate our efforts.
Tonyalee
Great post! I’ve always loved the SMART goals and it really does help! Also breaking down the goals is a big one. Sometimes we need to see progress daily/weekly to keep us motivated and this A great way to do that.
Tonyalee @ https://www.vivaciousbibliophile.com
Lindsey
I love this! I’m notorious for setting realistic goals and then never break them down enough for the time/energy I actually have and then spend my weekend stressed out why I’ve got so many things on my to-do list still. There are some really great tips here, thanks for sharing. Definitely going to be trying to implement some of these.
Lindsey | https://aramblingreviewer.wordpress.com/
Claire
Brilliant advice. The SMART bit is really good, it makes complete sense.
I am not one for goal setting but I’m going to have a think about My July goals now.
Thank you x
Chrissy
Such a great post! I’ve been making better SMART goals and noticed that I’ve been hitting my goals better than before. Thanks for sharing such an informative post!
Alexandra
This was one informational post! Thank you for sharing all this with us. I suddenly felt more motivated! ☺️
O
Great post! Thank you for putting this together. I’ll be sure to check back any time I want a refresher. 🙂
Ieva || TheSpareMinimum.com
Loving the post! I absolutely agree with the idea to separate any big goal into smaller chunks. I don’t think there’s ANY other way to actually get things done, haha.
Kelly Diane
This is such a helpful and motivating post. I love breaking goals down into mini ones too, its so much easier to achieve them.
Sara
Awesome post! I feel like I can accomplish things when I give them a time frame so this totally resonates with me!
Fadima Mooneira
Good post. Thank you for sharing your tips. I’m now working on my goal to become a novelist. I already apply some of these tips to my work and daily life. Now I’m gonna apply all the tips you shared.
Kalin
Such great tips to stay on task! I’ve found what really works for me is taking my goals and breaking them down into achievable mini goals
Jenni
Very helpful information, thank you for sharing! My goals are all over the place at the moment. As soon as the kids go back to school it’s time to make a solid plan for the coming months.
Mari
I love the mini break down goals method! Also like the trackers included in this post. Thank you for sharing x
Lauren
Great tips! Thanks for sharing. Setting goals and keeping track of them along the way is so useful for seeing what’s working and what’s not.
Lauren | https://www.laurenyloves.co.uk/
Karalee Shotola
I am terrible at making goals, but I feel like it would definitely be helpful to make monthly goals & track my progress. I did get this goal tracker so maybe I should use your tips & set some goals for this month!
Karalee | Tales of Belle
Jess
I am very similar to you when planning my goals. I lay them out, make sure they are specific & reevaluate often.
Constance
I find it difficult to set goal, but I started setting my goal with the help of your tips thank you so much for sharing.
Renu
A wonderful article I must say. Love the way you have broken down To track it into smaller ones
Shikha
Nice post. Thanks for sharing!
Anthony Gaenzle
The concept of breaking down your goals into mini-goals is great. One large goal can create frustration, as it may takes months (or even years) to achieve. If you break that goal into multiple mini-goals, however, you can celebrate a bit each time you complete a goal along the way and get one step closer to your end goal. And, of course, the SMART goals concept should always be front and center. Great post!
Rachelle
I love the visualization part. That’s one I didn’t think of. I learned a long time ago that to reach some of my goals, I have to break them into mini goals. For some less desirable or harder things, that’s the only way I get them done. 🤣❤️
Chloe
This is a smart and helpful post! I never thought to break down my goals like this so that they are more achievable but it will be something I do in the future. I’ve only started setting goals recently as I noticed I wasn’t doing as well as I’d hoped and needed to find a better way to achieve what I wanted. Thanks for a great post!
Kaci
This is so helpful! I completely agree with setting mini goals. Before I started doing that I got so discouraged seeing how far I was from my big goal.
I like the thought of visualizing your life as if you’ve achieved the goals too. I hadn’t thought of that.
Thank you for sharing!
Dominique
Amazing tips! Love how you broke down each step clearly. Love it! Will definitely be using your suggestions.
Christine Candeland
Just about to graduate so really needed this! With belief and hard work, anything is possible ❤
Rodha
I absolutely love every point you mention in this post I think I’m going to break down my goals into bite sized chunks so that I’m not feeling overwhelmed and will definitely implement the SMART technique. Thank you for producing another great blog post once again x
Jenisha
Great advice. It motivated me to achieve my goals. Thank you for sharing.
Sumedha
Love how you broke it down to proper steps!
Amanda Burnett
I’ve been failing at making good goals lately so this post was so helpful!
Sarah
This is such a great post! I so often make goals and then either forget about them or just never complete them this post makes it so much easier to break them down into more achievable goals!
Jenn
I’ve got to get better at the more specific goals. I’ll put more vague ones but getting specific I think will really help me to push forward.
Elizabeth Hartley
This is so motivational and super helpful! Loved reading! x
Sophie Harriet
I set goals for myself every month! I already make sure that my goals are ‘SMART’ but I’ve picked up a few new tips from this post, such as visualising my life having achieved my goals. I will try that! Thank you for this post x
Sophie | http://thisbrilliantday.com
Lisamarie
Love this post! I am definitely one for goals and use the S.M.A.R.T. technique a lot but I love how you really break them down all the way to mini goals! for most people that will be really helpful! what a great post! I will be sharing for sure.
Amanda
Very good tips! Especially the mini goals which I’m going to try! Love it.
Lomash Kumar
Thank you for sharing! Totally agree on fragmenting your goals, it will help us to increase our productivity without taking too much pressure. Absolutely a great way to achieve your goals!
Caring Mothers
Very inspiring post! I’ll definitely keep it in mind!
Rebekka Kaur
I bookmarked this and I’m gonna start doing it right away! Never realised that writing goals can help so much ☕✨
Brooke
Brilliant! For someone who has far too many goals at any given time, this helps me narrow it down and just pick one to work on already.
Corinne
Setting SMART goals is so effective. It gives you so much clarity in how you can achieve your goals. I usually add -E.R. at the end of SMART, meaning to evaluate and reward yourself along the way. Makes it that much more motivating.
Deepti Gupta
Very useful tips, I liked the idea of creating goals and mini-goals with clear action plans!
Deepti (https://perspectiveofdeepti.blogspot.com/)
Alisha
I find that SMART goals are the best way to achieve them! Thank you for sharing your wisdom. I’m also a sucker for productivity and have recently published a post on how I’m spending my summer productively, so you’re welcome to check it out if you’re interested!
Angel Ro
seems to be perfect one. But little lengthy.
Good details.
Thank you…
Anu
great tips!! need to start with my mini-goals.
Travel Addicted Unicorn
Great list!! I remember the SMART goals from school! Totally agree on the mini-goals, I get overwhelmed super easy so having mini-goals is essential for me.
Caroline
You’ve got some really great ideas there, I’m sure they’ll help me get my brain in gear! It seems to have turned to mush during lockdown so I could do with an aim
Gabija
Brilliant post! I think it’s great that you mentioned creating an action plan; there have been too many times that I’ve set goals for myself and did nothing to make them a reality – it’s really important to be both a dreamer and a doer if you want success!
Gabija | EveryLittleThing Blog
Lam and TheGlam
Aww ! Thank you Gabija 😊 really happy that you loved this post
Alisha Bilal
I find that SMART goals are the most effective ways of setting your goals! Ive just subscribed. I’m also a sucker for productivity and I’ve recently written a blog post on how I personally want to spend my summer so check it out/subscribe if you want to!
https://alishascornerxx.blogspot.com/?m=1
Becky | Uptown Oracle
Great tips! Need to get back on track with my own action plan! <3
Becky | Uptown Oracle
Lam and TheGlam
Thank you 😊 happy to see that this’s helpful 😉
Shelly
Great tips! Always work SMARTer, not harder! Making mini goals and keeping track of progress is absolutely the best way to achieve your goals! Thank you for the reminder!
Lisa | Mind and Body Intertwined
I always forget to Use the SMART method, thank you for reminding me!
Seraine
Yes, SMART goals are everything! I also liked how you gave specifics on how to break it down into mini goals that are more realistic and encouraging!
Lam and TheGlam
Thank you Seraine 😊
Katie
This post is so helpful! I’ll definitely be coming back to this in future.. I’m a sucker for making a plan but never actually being productive 😅
Aimsy
This is a great post. Definitely need to make sure your goals are achievable and breaking them down into smaller and long term goals, is a great way to do it. I also love that you put visualising as if you have already met them, great mindset to get into!
Thanks for sharing!
Aimsy xoxo
Aimsy’s Antics
Hannah Kay
I am so glad I read this before writing my June goals! I feel my targets will be so much more beneficial now! Thank you!
Maisie
This is SUCH a well written post! I first learnt about SMART goals on my A2HE course and it’s been life changing, literally!! I think I need to start doing more visualisation and stop doubting myself! I’ve also pinned this post to refer back to and hopefully it reaches some others too! 💖
Charlotte Dawson
This is a really good post! I love this blog…
SMART goals are something I need to do! Also in terms of making money from my blog and online too (I am yet to earn a penny but hope I am by the end of the year!)
Helen
I love the SMART saying. I had to do a business module at uni where we learnt about it.
It’s so important to set small goals heading toward large goals, not just in business but in all aspects of life.
Helen
Tea in the Tub
James Tasker
This is such a good post. I really like how you’ve broken down S.M.A.R.T, it’s something I learned in business and something I’ve taken through my life and found it really helpful to refer back to.
Thanks again for sharing!
James.
Johnny
Love all these tips! I’m a fan of visualising where you want to be because it shows a sense of authenticity about your goals and targets!
Johnny | Johnny’s Traventures
https://johnnystraventures.com
Sarah
Such a useful blog post! I’ve never been one to really set blog goals as I don’t like the pressure but I think if I see it more as motivation it might make me work harder! Thanks for the great post!
LoveMy Makeup NZ
I love the part about setting mini-goals. Goals can sometimes get quite daunting when they are big and audacious!
Travelogged blogs
I’ve tried following all these steps before and they really help a lot. I somehow lost my habit of doing this but after reading your post, I feel that I should start doing that again. Thank you for sharing!
UnhappyGraduate blog
Such a good post! I’m always bad at setting tasks that are too big so I might start breaking them down into chunks now!
Rayo
“A goal without a plan is just a dream” that’s powerful and this is my takeaway. I just wrote this down and add the quote to my board as a reminder to always have plans whether daily, weekly, monthly. Thank you so much for sharing
Jodie Paterson
I love the idea of visualising life as if we’ve already achieved our goals, what a great motivator!
MartaA goa
This is very inspirational post that makes you get up and move your a**. “A goal with out the plan is just a dream.” Is so true. You can achive anything you set your mind to and make actions to do it. Nothing will fall out of the sky to you.
Kelly Diane
Setting SMART goals is such a good way of having achievable goals. I’m definitely going to give this a try myself.
Lam and TheGlam
I’m glad that you loved it Kelly 😊 I hope you’ll achieve all your goals
Olivia
Literally started reading this, stopped, got a notepad and pen and started writing goals as I read this post! Ox
Violet
A brilliant post! I love setting goals for absolutely everything. And you’re right – SMART goals are the way to go.
Becca Newkirk
Great tips! I never heard of the smart method but I love It!
Lam and TheGlam
Thank you Becca 😊 yes ! Try this method you’ll love it I’m sure 😉
Kelly
I set goals for my working life using SMART, but I’ve never thought about using this method for my personal life too! Thank you for the tips!
Kate
Love this. I remember fondly learning about SMART targets during my business college days, and it’s certainly helped me during later life too. I love a good SWOT analysis too and always tell others to use these tools.
Thanks for sharing.
Kate | thelittlecrunch.co.uk
Lam and TheGlam
Thank you Kate 😊glad that you loved it !
Christy
Great tips! I love making a goal and breaking in down into smaller achievable goals. It makes me feel productive and accomplished.
Lam and TheGlam
Yes! That’s true!
Smaller achievable goals help to keep motivation and feel productive and accomplished 😉
Jenny in Neverland
Great tips. I do love a SMART goal! We learnt more about them in my CBT sessions last year on setting goals for our mental health as there’s no point setting them if they’re not SMART. Breaking things down really helps too x
Lam and TheGlam
Thank you Jennifer,
Yes sure, setting goals correctly is key to reach your dream live 😉
Clarissa Cabbage
Fantastic post! I’m definitely obsessed with goals and making progress and often write about how to form habits that you can actually stick to. Thanks for this detailed step by step guide!
Lam and TheGlam
Thank you Clarissa 😊 end of month is the best time to track our progress and set new goals for the new month