Chocolate cake is one of my favorite deserts. When I take a bite of a slice of chocolate cake, I immediately close my eyes. With my eyes closed, I savor each chocolaty bite. I can taste the combination of chocolate and sugar and feel the moist texture of the cake on my tongue. I thoroughly enjoy each bite. As a lover of chocolate cake, it wouldn’t wise for me to eat the cake in one setting. I would end up with a stomachache and an immediate trip to the bathroom. But eating a chocolate cake one slice and one bite at a time allows me to savor the flavor and enjoy my favorite dessert. I can say the same thing about goal attainment.
How often have you set a big goal for yourself and then get overwhelmed by everything you have to get done? Once you are overwhelmed, your vision gets smaller and feelings of anxiety grow larger. You believe you have bitten off more than you can chew and now goal fatigue has set in. How can you move forward if you have goal fatigue?
Ask yourself the following questions:
- What ways do you think goal fatigue is impacting you now?
- Do you find yourself burnt out or losing passion for your goal?
- Are you losing energy or slowing your pace as you move towards your goal?
Here are three coaching tips to help reduce goal fatigue:
1. Looking at everything that you need to get done can be daunting. Break your goal down into smaller segments and prioritize the segments in order of importance. For example, for an end of the year goal attainment, break your goal down by quarter, and then by month. Then take your monthly goals and break it down by week. Be intentional with your time to complete each task by scheduling them on your calendar and/or planner. Keep in mind sometimes issues may arise that are out of your control. Give yourself permission to rearrange your schedule when necessary.
2. Show yourself compassion along your journey of goal attainment by shifting your perspective from what you haven’t accomplished to what you have accomplished. Think Progress not Perfection when checking off your To-do list. Also, give yourself permission to celebrate each milestone because you are one step closer to your goal. When we celebrate each milestone, we allow ourselves to rest and recover between tasks and goals which gives us the energy we need for our next step.
3. Enjoy the journey. We have a tendency to want to jump to the next thing after we reached our goal. By rushing into the next thing, we miss the opportunity to relish in our accomplishments, gain insight from the lessons learned, and reflect on the impact you have made in your life and the lives of others.
Next Steps:
1. What support do you need right now in order to make it easier for you to stay on track towards your goal?
2. When and how do you plan to rest in between each goal?
3. When and how are you going to celebrate each milestone and goal achievement?