How the theme of the month helps to achieve goals easily and with pleasure
Miscellaneous / / April 02, 2023
A planning approach that gives you more flexibility and less stress.
Grandiose plans for the future put a lot of pressure on us. When we fail to achieve what we want, we blame and scold ourselves for it. This happens because we think too globally and set goals for the long term. Instead, try a different approach, such as using a theme of the month.
What is the theme of the month
This is a small and clear goal for the month. It may be part of a global plan, say, to improve the physical and mental health, or a separate task.
For example, instead of the absolute goal of “lose weight,” the theme for the month could be “cook more at home.” Or, if you want to work on your emotional state during the year, the goal for one month could be to do daily developmental exercises. awareness.
The main thing is to choose simple, small and achievable goals, and not vague ambitious goals.
What are its advantages
It reduces pressure
far-reaching plans, for example for a year or five years, is too big and serious a task, because you need to decide what you want for this whole long period, and this can be difficult. Your life can change drastically in just a few months, and this will make the long-term goals you have set unattainable. The theme of the month is designed for a short time, so choosing it is easy, and implementing it is not so scary.
It gives flexibility
Change is perhaps the only thing that will definitely happen in our lives forever. The theme of the month allows you to be flexible and adapt to change. Even if something goes wrong and you can't handle the March theme, you can always come back to it in a few months and make it the July theme. Or, if you write down all the topics ahead of time but can't come up with a topic for November, you can leave a gap and figure it out later when that month gets closer.
To add even more flexibility, you can analyze the theme of the month once a week and adjust it if necessary. Let's say your goal is to walk more often goodbye. But if by the middle of the month you are already exhausted and feel that you need a break, change your plans. For example, spend more time chatting with a person instead of meeting in person right away.
It makes goals more fun
When you choose a new theme every month and adjust it regularly as circumstances dictate, your goals stay fresh and interesting. You are unlikely to get tired of working on their achievement if they change every 12 months.
Moreover, when you achieve a short-term goal, you feel more successful. This helps you confidently move towards new goals and come up with tasks that you would not even try before.
How to choose a theme of the month
Look into your calendar for a year and think about what important life events or difficulties you may encounter in different months. Then write down what will help you cope in those moments. For example, if in April you are most loaded with work, its theme may be rest.
Another way to come up with a theme for the month is to analyze what you would like to do more and what you would like to do less. Let's say you want to spend more time with your loved ones. Then you can select multiple targets related to family and friends. For example, the theme of March is reunion, when you communicate more often with friends who have traveled around the world, and the theme of April is intimacy, when you focus on romantic relationships with a partner.
Try to evaluate the past year: what went well and what went completely wrong. And use the results as starting points for finding topics. For example, if you have often experienced anxiety, you might think about topics such as psychotherapy, learning calming techniques, listening to podcasts, or reading mental health books.
How to work with her
Check back regularly to see how the process is going. For example, add a reminder to your calendar to give five minutes of analysis every two weeks. Ask yourself what's going well, what's not going well, and how you can work on the topic next week.
Ask a friend, partner, or family member to become a kind of observer and watch how you "reveal" your topic. Another effective way is to find literature or podcasts on the topic of the month. This will allow you to learn more about her and not lose sight of her.
The theme of the month is individual and very personal, so there is no right or wrong way to work with it. It is convenient for someone to write down all the topics for the year ahead, while someone prefers to choose one at the end of each month. Do what is comfortable for you and create your themes at any convenient time, whether it's your birthday or a random day in March.
At the same time, it is not necessary to choose topics that globally change lives. Try to devote time to what you want to develop, what seems important and viable to you. It will be much easier for you to follow your theme of the month if you have fun working on it.
And if this approach disappoints you, you can always go back to more familiar ways of setting goals.
Read also🧐
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