A Year Unlike Any Other - But We Still Need to Plan for Next Year - Part 5

Despite the unexpected, disconcerting events we've all lived through since March, we don't want to forget to plan for next year - whatever it brings. Just remember that even the best plans never quite work out as we might have anticipated - for better or for worse. Still, my experience has been that having a plan is much better than having none. 

With that in mind, we re-post our series on planning for next year, as we have been doing every year at this time.

I told you last time I'd share with you some specifics on how to break down your important goals into those bite-size pieces we already talked about. Here goes.

I keep a document called "My Four Important Goals." In it I write the following, in this order:

• My four important goals
• My five-year interim objective
• Each goal (one sentence long)
• Under each goal, the specific things that need to happen for the goal to be accomplished

The specific things that need to happen are basically the steps - sort of mini-objectives - that will accomplish my big goal. These steps are the ones broken into 1-year, then 1-month, then 1-week objectives. And, remember, these 1-week objectives are the ones I use at the beginning of each week to set my daily objectives for that week.

(Tip: I actually break the goals down to the monthly level at this point. Then, as each month comes up, I get into the weekly. It recognizes that life doesn't always go exactly as you plan things. When I do this  prayerfully, and recognize that God's plan comes first, it works well for me.)

The above is all written out in this one document.

Let me share one of my goals - the simplest one - to give you an example of how it's done. I'll use my health goal.

Why health? It's generic enough, plus it really is something I think each of us should have as an important goal. The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We Catholics were taught this when we were kids. Taking care of our bodies isn't optional. And taking care of our bodies doesn't just mean not abusing our bodies (drink, drugs, gluttony, etc.).

Of course, just be careful with this one. It's easy to slip into vanity when you focus on improving your physical well-being, which frequently will improve your physical appearance. But, of course, if we go right back to our cardinal virtues, we can apply each in turn as we work out the best way to take care of our bodies.

So here's my goal:

Be in top shape: lose fat, firm up until I have a 33-inch waist, more energy and more flexibility, averaging 7 hours of sleep per night.

Now, don't laugh. I really do work at this. I'm kind of embarrassed just putting it out there like this. But let's move on.

Notice that it's very specific. And it's based on my own specific situation.

For example, while I don't know if I can actually get to a 33-inch waist, it's possible and ambitious enough so that I can realistically and enthusiastically work at it. And, given my own physical, mental, emotional and psychological make-up, it will do a lot to help me treat my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit.

Okay, so now here are the things I figured out have to happen to effectively work at and reach this goal: low body fat, no back, neck, knee or joint pain (I've had this sort of pain for various reasons since I was a kid), plenty of energy throughout the day, average 30 - 60 minutes of various types of exercise per day...

Get the drift here? Now I've got these mini-objectives which will become part of the breaking down of the big goal. Let's take the idea that I have no back, neck, knee or joint pain.

Obviously I have pain in these areas now. So I think that if that pain gets worse, I'm going to have trouble exercising in the first place. On the other hand, if I can minimize that pain (maybe even get rid of it), I'll be more effective in my exercise. If I'm more effective in my exercise (consisitent, vigorously perfomed, etc.) I can lose weight, increase energy. So the reduction/elimination of the various pains is an important mini-objective I need to break down into further steps - steps that will help me accomplish this mini-objective.

Those steps might be taking fish oil tablets (supposed to be good for joint pain), targeted stretching and strengthening exercises (for the back and neck). Make sense?

I can tell you that to reach this goal, it'll take both effort and time. It's not like I'm grossly obese or anything. It's just that to accomplish this goal I'm confronting the really tough things I've never been able to accomplish that I've thought about in the past.

Without this goal, it would be really easy (knowing myself as I do) to slip and slide my way into ill health over time. If I let that happen, I'm really not treating my body - a gift from God, a temple of the Holy Spirit - as I should.

I hope sharing this breakdown helps you break down your goals more effectively, more realistically.

Now, do your best to get your plan in place by Thanksgiving, latest the first Sunday of Advent. Then you'll be "in sync" with the liturgical calendar. You'll live your life tied to the rhythm of the Church year. You'll know that you're pursuing worthwhile goals - goals that were the result of prayerful consideration.

If you can't finish this project by the first Sunday of Advent, it's no big deal. Just work at it until it's done. But don't let this go until the New Year rolls around, OK?

Every year, you can re-consider your goals. But if you did your job this year, you won't be radically changing them - unless, or course, something radically changes in your life.

And as you look at each coming week, always go to those weekly goals you set and do your best to tackle each one each week. Make the time every day to do what's important - ideally to do what's important first.

TO SUM IT ALL UP:

I've tried to take the whole goal-setting discipline from a Catholic point of view and make it as practical and specific as possible. I know it needs improvement. Maybe you have some better ideas. I'd love to hear them.