How To Do A Mid-Year Goal Check-In
Can you believe we’re already halfway through the year? It feels like just yesterday we were setting New Year intentions, full of hope and determination for the year ahead. No matter the stage of your life, there’s a good chance you’re here because you set yourself some goals at the start of the year and you are looking at the best way to do your own mid-year goal check-in.
The middle of the year is the perfect time for a little reflection and recalibration. Today, I will walk you through my mid-year goal check-in process to help you hit the ground running for the rest of the year!
Why Everyone Needs a Mid-Year Goal Review
In this fast-paced world, we all face a diverse mix of pressures – from career aspirations and educational achievements to personal development and social relationships. Balancing our many roles, from motherhood to simply finding time for leisure activities and hobbies.
Amidst all this, it’s easy to lose sight of our goals or feel overwhelmed by the progress we think we haven’t made.
A mid-year check-in serves as a powerful tool to pause, reflect, and celebrate how far we’ve come and to help us make decisions about where we want to go next.
Types Of Goals And Why They Matter
In the landscape of goal-setting, the most common goals we set are annual goals and monthly or short-term goals, each playing a pivotal role in our long-term intentions.
Annual goals provide a broad, year-long vision, setting the stage for what we aspire to achieve within a 12-month period. These are ambitious targets that reflect our bigger dreams and life directions.
On the other hand, monthly goals or short-term goals serve as more manageable, bite-sized steps that pave the way towards these larger ambitions. They offer a more immediate focus, allowing us to make consistent progress by breaking down the annual objectives into smaller, actionable tasks.
This method of setting long-term goals, supplemented by shorter milestones, not only helps in tracking our progress but also makes the journey towards achieving our grander aspirations less intimidating.
If you’ve kicked off this year with long-term goals only (or resolutions), your mid-year review is a good time to set yourself some more specific steps and short-term goals to help you stay motivated, so let’s get into the mid-year check-in!
How To Do A Mid-Year Goal Check-In
Step 1: Revisit Your New Year’s Resolutions or Intentions
Start by pulling out your journal, notebook, or any digital app where you’ve kept your goals. It’s okay if you didn’t formalise your resolutions at the beginning of the year – think back on any intentions or dreams you had in mind.
The key here is to approach this step without judgment. Life happens, and priorities shift. This exercise is about seeing where you started and setting the stage for where you’re headed. These goal-setting journal prompts can help with clarity.
Step 2: Identify Your Achievements
This might be my favourite part! Create a list of everything you’ve achieved so far, no matter how small it may seem.
If your goal was to lose 10kg this year and you’ve made progress towards that goal, that’s a win! Even if that progress is only a small part of the way, it still means you’ve taken action. Was your goal to organise your home and you’ve managed to donate 3 bags of clothes to charity. That’s still a start on your annual goal.
Step 3: Reflect on What You’ve Achieved
With your list of achievements in hand, take a moment to really soak it in. Each item on that list represents a step forward, a moment of bravery, or a commitment to bettering yourself. Celebrate these wins – you deserve to!
Step 4: Assess What Hasn’t Gone as Planned
Now, identify the goals that haven’t quite panned out yet. Maybe you aimed to save a certain amount of money but found yourself facing unexpected expenses. Perhaps you wanted to make more time for creative hobbies but struggled to find the balance. Approach this step with kindness and openness. Understanding the ‘why’ behind these unmet goals can provide valuable insights for moving forward.
Ask yourself these questions if you need help assessing your progress:
- Have I Set Realistic Expectations? Reflect on whether your goals were achievable within the given timeframe and with the resources available to you. Consider if you might have overestimated what could be accomplished, leading to unmet expectations.
- Did I Prioritise My Goals Effectively? Assess how you prioritised your goals and daily tasks. Think about whether competing priorities or distractions may have diverted your focus from your primary objectives.
- How Well Did I Plan and Execute? Evaluate the thoroughness of your planning process and strategy. Consider if there were gaps in your goal plan, such as not being clear on the steps you need to take to make the change you need.
- What External Factors Influenced My Progress? Identify any external circumstances or challenges that impacted your ability to achieve your goals. Identify how these factors influenced your progress and what adjustments could be made in the future to manage their impact.
Step 5: Revise and Reset Goals
Armed with your reflections, it’s time to think about the second half of the year. If you’re on track with certain goals, great – keep moving forward.
Some goals might need a little tweaking, while others might require a complete overhaul. And guess what? That’s perfectly okay. Life is dynamic, and our goals should be too. Consider what’s realistically achievable in the next six months and align your goals with your current passions, priorities, and capacities.
Adjusting Your Goals with Grace and Grit
Adjusting your goals isn’t a sign of defeat. It shows you’re listening to yourself and are committed to your happiness and success. Be gentle with yourself during this process. Achieving goals is about progress, not perfection. At the same time, hold onto your grit – that fierce determination that keeps you pushing forward even when the going gets tough.
Make sure you don’t compare yourself to the progress of others around you. After all, comparison is the thief of joy and you could be comparing your beginning to someone else’s middle. The only person you should be measuring yourself against is your own personal progress.
Empowering Yourself for the Rest of the Year
Setting yourself up for success means not only revising your goals but also finding ways to stay motivated and overcome obstacles.
Create a visual representation of your updated goals – a vision board, a digital desktop background, or even a simple post-it note wall. Seeing your goals regularly can keep them top of your mind and spark that inner drive.
Additionally, consider sharing your updated goals with a friend, mentor, or family member. They can offer support, accountability, and perhaps some wisdom from their own experiences.
A mid-year check-in is more than a productivity exercise. The path to achieving our dreams isn’t always straight or smooth, however, every day is a chance to take small steps toward big dreams. Here’s to a second half of the year filled with progress and personal growth.
I’d love to hear from you! Share one goal you’re resetting for the second half of the year in the comments below.
