How to set and keep your personal goals

Achieving your personal goals is easier with the right tools. From setting up notifications to tracking progress, Windows 11 can help you move from goal setting to goal achieving. Try these tips to set and complete your goals with support from Windows 11 tools.

Tips for goal setting

Most accomplishments take some planning and intention. Once you have that, technology can be a great partner to help you get things done on schedule and stick to your commitments. Here are some tips on setting goals and using technology to pace yourself and accomplish them, one manageable step at a time:

Determine manageable steps to complete your larger goal

Even a few minutes per day, say, five or ten minutes to read or do yoga, can help you make progress on your long-term goal of reading twenty-five books in a year or becoming more flexible. Smaller goals and increments of time are often more manageable, so don’t be afraid to think small! All big accomplishments happen one step at a time.

Set benchmarks

Lay out specific benchmarks on the way to completing your larger goal. These are a chance to celebrate how far you’ve come and possibly readjust the path forward, if needed. Benchmarks help you track progress and know that, yes, you are getting there!

Be realistic about timing

As you think about the steps to complete your goal and the benchmarks you plan to hit, consider what they involve and how long you’d like or need to spend on them. Take a look at your schedule to see where you have or can make the time to devote your personal goal. Laying out all your responsibilities and priorities might help you figure out what you need to move or change.

Make a list of tasks

Concrete plans help make dreams a reality. To make a list of the tasks you need to complete on the way to your larger goal, you can choose from several Windows 11 tools. You might use Microsoft OneNote to capture that list and then turn each list item into a task in Microsoft Outlook Calendar or Microsoft To Do. Since these tools are integrated, you can also use them together!

Set reminders for ongoing tasks and benchmarks

When it comes to automating reminders and helping you stick to a schedule, Windows 11 can be your motivational goal-setting and tracking partner. OneNote, Outlook Calendar, and To Do can all be used to set reminders for individual tasks and your benchmarks. Pro tip: If you have a benchmark coming up, set up a notification to remind you of it a week or more ahead. Deadlines might help with motivation, and reminders might be just what you need to get the task done.

Check in regularly to track progress and connect to your why

It can be helpful to reflect on your accomplishments, no matter how small. Try regular, maybe monthly, or weekly, check-ins with yourself or your team to stay clear on how far you’ve come, notice what’s working, and remember why the goal matters to you in the first place. You might also keep progress notes in OneNote.

Meeting your personal goals is that much more achievable with the tools available in Windows 11. If you haven’t tried it yet, see all that Windows 11 can do by upgrading today.