How To Set Monthly Goals? (7 Steps)

Goals can be set in numerous ways. Some like to make resolutions at the beginning of the year, and then some make new ones each week.

What works best for you doesn’t matter; it’s just a matter of personal preference. However, to begin making significant changes in your life, set monthly goals.

The year’s purpose is linked to our monthly goals. To make steady progress toward the things that matter most, break down your large projects into smaller, more manageable chunks each month.

Monthly goals aren’t something everyone does. Take some time to reflect on your goals, and then make an effort toward them. 

Set specific, measurable, manageable, useful, and time-bound goals that inspire you, and jot them down to make them feel real. Write down the actions needed to achieve your goal and check them off as you complete each one.

It is important to set monthly goals, however, to achieve your goals. Make every month count by following this guide’s advice on setting monthly goals and then making sure you achieve those goals.

Reasons Why You Need Monthly Goals

If you don’t write down your goals, you will be at least ten times more likely to succeed in life than those who do.

When you set and work toward meaningful goals, you can create a sense of personal fulfillment and accomplishment in your life from the inside out.

It’s easier to envision the life you want to lead when you have a clear picture of your goals.

Those at the pinnacle of their professions, whether they be athletes, business leaders, or any other type of achiever, have a goal in mind.

Setting short-term and long-term goals gives you a sense of direction and a sense of urgency. To get the most out of your time and resources, you need a plan that keeps your learning on track.

You’ll be able to track your progress and feel good about your accomplishments if you make specific, well-defined goals and stick to them, even if the process initially seemed tedious and pointless.

With the realization that you are competent enough to accomplish the goals, your self-confidence will rise.

Breaking down your goals into smaller, more manageable chunks is the only way to make them a reality.

Make a plan of action and stick to it. Your action plan can be broken down into manageable chunks with the help of monthly goals.

Goals also have a sense of accomplishment to them. Consider how good it feels to complete a task especially if it’s a big and important one.

You’re giddy with joy and you have a sense of invincibility.  You also get a boost of motivation to keep going.

The physiology of the human body supports this belief. On his blog, Brian Tracy explains the phenomenon in great detail:

“…scratching something off of a to-do list sends a signal to your brain to release a certain amount of dopamine, a natural mood enhancer, into your system.”

Dopamine is the body’s natural “happy pill“; completing tasks causes dopamine to be released in the brain, which makes you feel great.

Setting monthly goals is also important for this reason. When you set monthly goals and work toward them each month, you will feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the month, which will encourage you to keep going

Increasing your chances of achieving that big yearly goal month by month. 

7 Steps to Set Monthly Goals

Many people feel like they’ve been lost in the world. They put in a lot of effort, but it doesn’t seem to be paying off.

As a result of their lack of self-reflection and goal-setting, they feel as though they have no direction in life.

What sane person would embark on a long journey without a clear idea of where they were going?

Take some time to reflect on your goals, and then make an effort toward them. Set specific, measurable, manageable, useful, and time-bound goals that inspire you, and jot them down to make them feel real.

Write down the actions needed to achieve your goal and check them off as you complete each one.

Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn your vision of this future into reality.

The process of setting goals helps you choose where you want to go in life. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you know where you have to concentrate your efforts.

You’ll also quickly spot the distractions that can, so easily, lead you astray.

Plan and achieve the goals that are important to you this year. You can achieve your goals and become the person you want to be by following the steps outlined below.

1. Choose a planner

To begin, pick one planner and use it exclusively to track your progress toward your goals. It will be easier to evaluate your progress if you use the same planner each month to record your goals.

As a result, you’ll be able to identify recurring patterns, such as whether or not you set the same goal. 

Your objectives may not be serving your interests, for example. As simple as it may seem to keep a single planner for your goals, it’s all too easy to simply grab any notebook or piece of paper and start writing down your plans. 

If you write down your goals for the month in your planner, you’re more likely to reflect on your progress and set new ones for the following month.

2. Plan and Vision Your Month

When setting monthly goals, the first step you take is to plan your month. Whenever you start a new month, you like to follow the same set of prompts for brainstorming and planning your goals for the upcoming week.

When you focus on both your personal growth and well-being, you’ll find that your life is more balanced. 

3. Choose Your Habits

Choose which habits you want to work on this month after you plan your month and make your vision board. Making your bed every morning is an example of a habit that you hope to turn into a lifestyle. Other times, you’ll set a goal for yourself.

You can infuse your daily life with more positivity if you establish new habits. You can hold yourself accountable for your new habits by tracking your progress with a habit tracker.

4. Set Clear Goals

What if I told you that only 10% of people follow through on their New Year’s resolutions?

There is a problem with resolutions because they are vague and do not form habits to help you achieve your goal. Make your resolutions into attainable goals by following these steps.

The most common new year’s resolution is to “lose weight.” Using this phrase is a problem because it’s ambiguous and lacks specificity. Instead, commit yourself to losing a certain amount of weight each month.

Each month, pick one goal and work toward it. There is no need to set a huge goal, just one that you can work on each day.

5. Choose a Manageable Monthly Milestone

This month, come up with something you can accomplish that will help you get one step closer to your long-term goal.

Realistically. This month, what can you accomplish to move you closer to your goal? Alternatively, if you’d like to plan, what four-month milestones can you commit to ensuring you meet your weight loss goal?

Choose wisely. Choosing a monthly goal that you can stick to is critical. Setting monthly milestones for your big yearly goals will help you stay on track and accountable for reaching them.

6. Take Action

It’s time to take action after deciding on a monthly goal. Small, daily steps toward your goal will help you stay on track.

Remove any barriers that stand in your way of achieving your goal. Suppose your goal is to exercise every day.

At night, keep your workout attire and sneakers right next to your bed. As soon as you get out of bed in the morning, you won’t have to second guess whether or not to hit the gym.

With this, you’ve been able to set a lot of other goals in all areas of your life because of this realization.

7. Hold Yourself Accountable

Don’t let your monthly goal and daily tasks to achieve it slip from your consciousness. Put reminders on your phone.

Add a task to your daily list of things to do. You can also use sticky notes to remind you to do things. Make a record of your activities in a planner or journal.

Share your goal with a friend, and ask them to help you stay on track for the entire month.

8. Make it Visible

At the beginning of each month, create a vision board. Your personal touch can be added in the form of a picture or a phrase that inspires you.

You could even draw a picture of your vision in this area. This is a step you would like to incorporate into your routine because it is enjoyable, relaxing, and doesn’t take up a lot of time. It also helps to solidify your goals.

9. Do a Mid-Month Check In

At the end of each month, you take some time to review your goals and routines. A reflection is a powerful tool for personal development, and it only takes ten minutes at the end of each month to reap the benefits.

Final Thoughts

All it takes is the practice of setting new goals for yourself once a month to infuse new life and energy into your daily routine. Review and update your goals frequently to keep the process going.

However, if you also develop the habit of writing down your monthly goals every day and consistently taking steps towards achieving them, then success is virtually guaranteed.

Also, don’t forget to savor the sense of accomplishment you feel when you achieve your goals