Lots of research in psychology shows that setting goals has a positive effect psychologically, neurologically and also physiologically. Goals give you a sense of direction and keep you moving. They determine what you do next and help you channel your energy into what is important to you.

Goals can also help to clarify your thoughts, get you started on a new project or in a new direction, or give you the impetus and motivation to make changes. Your goals are not set in concrete; you set them, so you can review and change them!

So, where do you start when it comes to setting goals? Many of us are familiar with goal setting in the context of our work. Let’s look more broadly at some of the important aspects across the whole of your life, to help you decide how to begin.

“Instead of looking at the past, I put myself ahead twenty years and look at what I need to do now in order to get there.”

Diana Ross

Take some time to work through these questions, choosing the areas that are relevant or important to you right now.

1. Your finances and money. Money matters more to some people than others.

How well does your income (money coming in) match your outgoings (money going out)? How do you feel about this difference? What would you like the total of money coming in to be in the short/medium/long-term? What changes do you want to make to the total of money going out? What are you doing to save or invest for the future? What else do you want to know or do about saving or investing for the future?

2. Work circumstances. Are you in paid employment or are you looking for paid employment? How do you feel about working/not working? How do you feel about the industry that you work in and the type and amount of work that you do? How do you want to work? Full-time/part-time/self-employed/voluntary work or something else? Maybe you have more than one job – how does that feel, do you want to change that? Do you have or want a career plan?

If you are thinking of starting your own business, or you already have one, how far along the journey are you? What do you make or sell? Who are your customers and your competitors? What are the markers of business success for you?

3. Who do you live with? If you live on your own, what do you think/feel about it? How do others react to your living situation? Does it matter to you? What aspects of your life are affected by living on your own?

If you live with others, ask yourself the same questions. Also think about what your relationship is like with the people you live with. How is your life affected by those relationships? Do you want to change anything about your living situation? If so, what?

4. What about children? Are you considering starting a family? How many children and when? What will be the effects on your work of having a family? What about arrangements in case of ill health? If you take a career break around maternity, paternity or adoption, how might this affect your career, your life with the children and your partnership?

Or have you decided not to have children? How do you feel about this decision and how do other people treat you as a result?

What if you or your partner cannot have children? How does this affect your partnership, your life now and your plans/ideas for the future? What are the effects on your work, wider relationships, and health?

Already got children of your own? Or perhaps you are a step-parent, or you live within a non-traditional family structure. Who supports the children financially? Who cares for them and who does the ‘thinking’ about how they are looked after? Do you need to make any changes in this area of your life? How is your relationship with your children changing as they grow up?

Image credit: Juan Rumimpunu on Unsplash

5. Friendships. After partners and family, friendships are our most important and influential relationships. Do you feel happy, uplifted and valued, or anxious and inadequate in your friendships? Have too many, too few or the wrong sort of friends? Worry about what your friends think about you? Know you can rely on them, or think they rely on you?

How are your attitudes shaped by your friendships? Do you have a mixture of recent friends and those you have known for a long time? What opportunities do you have to make new friends? What would you like to be different about your friendships?

6. Work/life balance. We all need to balance our work with other activities, as our wellbeing is supported by involvement in different types of activity. Do you make time for outside interests, or think that just coping with life is enough? Do you struggle to fit in everything you want to do, or do you want to develop new interests or find new hobbies?

Do you do things alone or with other people? Activities that are mentally or physically challenging? Or do you prefer relaxing activities? What aspects of your work/life balance need attention?

7. Philosophy or approach to life. We all have one, whether it is a deeply held spiritual or religious belief; a guiding principle or attitude to life, or a catchphrase by which you run your life. What is your philosophy of life? What are you looking for or hoping for in life? How much does all of this influence your daily life and the decisions you make each day?

There are a lot of questions here and I know that thinking about one will probably lead you to ask yourself other, related questions. Give yourself plenty of time to really explore the important aspects of your life. Go back over any that need more time, until you’re happy with your answers.