Explore: Getting Clear on Personal Objectives
The approach I've taken to get specific on what I want for my life
Over the past year, I have been getting more clear about what I want to be doing with my time—what kind of life I want to lead, what activities I want to engage in, what I want to accomplish. In the past month, I’ve been getting even more specific, identifying objectives and defining what success looks like for me.
To “prime the pump,” I completed a values exercise using this colorful Live Your Values Deck. I followed the instructions provided in the deck, sorting cards into three piles based on how much each value mattered to me (most, some, or not at all). You don’t need a fancy card deck to do this exercise. If you google “values exercise,” you will find free lists of values terms and instructions for various ways to determine your core values. This comprehensive article from The Berkeley Well-Being Institute includes videos, links to lists, instructions for a couple different values exercises, and links to additional resources.
In determining my specific objectives and outlining my definitions of success, I turned to the five things I most love to do: create, learn, explore, connect/share and move. For each category, I listed a few specific activities that are non-negotiable, and I detailed how often they need to happen in order for me to feel successful. I’m currently building a chart that I plan to use for monthly tracking.
Typically, at the end of each month, I reflect on the month’s experiences. I note what I particularly appreciated during the month. I also look at where I fell short of what I’d planned to accomplish and consider how I can close that gap in the month to come. Adding the tracking chart to my monthly practice feels like an easy next step. Summer tends to be a looser when it comes to my habits and routines, so the coming season will be a test of whether these tools will work for me.
Do you make sure to fill your time with activities you enjoy? Do you measure your self-defined successes? I’d like to hear about your experiences in this area.