Letting a Goal Go…

As the end of 2020 approaches, it’s time to start thinking about what we want to accomplish in the next year, and, just as important, how we want to finish off the current year. Many are scrambling to finish off all the projects that they wanted to complete in 2020, but what about those lingering tasks that don’t hold the same level of importance as they once did? When is it okay to let a goal go?

Today, I want to share with you my 3-step process for deciding when it is time to let go of goal, and what I do with it once I decide its not the right time for it anymore.

1. Ask yourself about it.

The first step to letting a goal go is asking yourself about it. This is especially helpful if you’ve been holding on to a certain task for a while. These are questions I like to consider when I’m thinking about letting a goal go:

• Is this still important to you?
• Do the benefits of accomplishing this significantly outweigh the consequences of not completing it?
• Are you constantly moving this goal/task forward day to day, week to week, month to month, or even year to year on your to-do list?
• Can this be delegated to someone else?

If any of your answers to any of these questions point to letting go of the task, it might be time to move on.

2. Evaluate your options.

After asking yourself these questions, take sometime to evaluate your options.

If a goal isn’t important to you anymore, that’s definitely a good starting point for letting it go. However, maybe this goal is something given to you by your boss or someone else who is depending on you. Start a conversation about re-evaluating your priorities. You’re not going to be happy in your job if you are only working on things that don’t matter to you.

If the benefits of accomplishing the goal do not outweigh the consequences of not doing it, that is also a good argument for letting it go. There are higher priority projects to work on out there! Don’t waste your time on low impact tasks that aren’t going to add up to much in the long run.

I am definitely guilty of moving a task or goal forward week to week and month to month, especially with the things that fall into the “important but not urgent” category. Goals that fall into this category tend to be things that you really shouldn’t let go, no matter how much you want to.

For me, preventative care appointments are my biggest offender of this. I hate going to the dentist, and it is so easy for me to keep pushing forward the task of “Make a dentist appointment”. This is definitely something I need to do, and can’t just cancel. So, breaking it down into smaller tasks can help. For example, I can put a smaller task of “Find an in-network dentist” to work up to my larger goal of actually making the appointment and going.

Maybe this goal is still important to you, but the timing for it isn’t right. That’s where a “Someday/Maybe…” list can come in handy. Whenever I have an idea that I’d like to pursue, but I feel like I still need time to think about it, I add it to my “Someday/Maybe” list that I keep in the Goal Setting section of my planner.

For example, at the beginning of 2020, I was starting to plan out some trips I wanted to take throughout the year. However, once I realized most travel throughout 2020 was going to be cancelled, I added those to my “Someday/Maybe” list to remember for when I am able to go on those trips.

3. Let it go (or take an action).

Once you’ve evaluated all your options, make your decision on what you want to do with your goal.

If you decided that you still want to pursue it, try breaking it down into smaller steps. It can be really easy to put off working on a project if it seems like too big of an obstacle, so what is one small baby step you can do this week to work on this goal? Where do you want to be on it by the end of the month? The end of the year? Creating these milestones can help you tackle and accomplish large goals and projects.

If you decide that you want to reconsider it at a later time, add the project to your “Someday/Maybe” list. The key with this list is too remember to come back to it! I usually review my “Someday/Maybe” list on a monthly to quarterly basis. I’ll glance at it whenever I’m about to start on a monthly or quarterly goal setting process and ask myself, “Am I ready to tackle any of these yet?”. If I feel like I am, I’ll add it to my list for the month or the quarter. If I’m not, I’ll leave the goal on my “Someday/Maybe” list, and I’ll revisit it again the next month or quarter.

If you decided that the goal isn’t important to you and isn’t something you want to pursue, cross it off your list and move on. It can be really freeing to leave behind those small tasks that don’t suit you anymore. Acknowledge that it’s okay to leave it behind, and move on to make room for all the bigger and better projects you now have room to work on!

Letting go of a goal can sometimes feel like we’re letting ourselves down, but it will really open up possibilities to working on bigger, higher impact, and more exciting things in our lives. If you’re thinking about leaving some things behind in 2020, ask yourself how you feel about the goal and what kind of impact it has. Evaluate your options, and decide on what you want to do with it. Trust your gut, and remember that you know yourself best and have your best interest in mind! You can always revisit that goal someday in the future.

What are you leaving behind in 2020?