2020 Vision: Goal-Setting for the New Year (includes free download)

 

As the year draws to a close and the ’20s dawn, many of us are in reflective mode. 

 

A new year means a new start. Many of us begin the new year with resolutions i.e. a firm decision to do/not do something. We set out with great intentions to do better at home, at school, with our hobbies and with our friends.

 

The challenge with resolutions is, once broken, they can create a sense of failure that can be demotivating.

 

Framing our desire for change in terms of goals may help to overcome this, for these are aims/desired results. Successful attainment is the product of effort and ambition. That means taking sustained steps each day towards our goal. Yes, it is inevitable there will be stumbling blocks along the way. Part of realising the goal is finding ways to overcome such obstacles.

 

 

 

One movement, supporting the setting of goals and aimed at improving teacher wellbeing, is the #teacher5aday. Launched here, it suggests choosing personal challenges under the banners of #connect, #exercise, #notice, #learn, and #volunteer.

With that in mind, I have set about establishing my challenges.

I moved house recently and have really allowed #exercise to fall by the wayside. Determined to enact change, I have placed this at the top of my challenge list. With 2 invitations to join hiking groups, I hope to link #exercise with #notice.

 

Living in a megadiverse country, there is much to #notice and admire. As an adjunct to this, I would like 2020 to be the year photographs of things I have noticed actually make it into frames!

 

I have already taken steps towards my #volunteer goal and have signed up to participate in the organisation of a 2020 festival. I look forward to this being a great way to #connect with new friends in our new home town.

 

That said, for me, as well as having a #connect goal, a more important personal one is to #disconnect and place limits on screen use. This means leaving my phone downstairs at night so that it is not a distraction to a good night’s rest.

 

Hopefully, this will facilitate my #learn goal of reading more books this year. My #learn goal is not simply a personal one. My 2020 Vision is to support ever-increasing numbers of children to read, write and spell successfully through the creation of resources and the sharing of knowledge via this blog.

 

 

Recording these goals will hopefully support me in sticking to them and realising them. This can be a useful exercise to undertake with pupils also. To this end, I attach a free goal-setting download for use in class.

 

Here’s wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

 

 

FREE Download: Setting Achievable Goals – Available here

Images courtesy of Pixabay (except Penang Hill view – author’s own)