Personal DevelopmentProductivity

Why You Should Set Goals for Fall

posted on August 19, 2020 | by Caitlyn Campbell

Goal setting is one of my favorite things. I set goals twice a year—once at the beginning of the year, and once again in the fall. My new year’s goals, however, have disappeared in a plume of hand sanitizer because of COVID. Take a cooking class? Nope. Learn how to salsa? Not happening. The first half of the year turned into less about striving towards learning new things and more about surviving. Is my job safe? Can I work from home? How long will I have to wait in line for groceries? And why is there never any toilet paper? Setting goals in the fall is a way to get back on track when the year has gone off the rails. It’s a fresh start, and let’s be honest, we could all use one of those.

Fall is a Time of Change

Fall is a perfect time to set new goals because it’s a time of change. We’re moving into a new season, and into the last third of the year. Anything is possible, and we might as well use that to our advantage. Things are starting to look up from where we were in March when COVID hit. Quarantine has given us time to reevaluate what’s important to use, and what we really want. It’s time we take those learnings, thoughts, and feelings, and channel them into goals for the rest of the year. Sit down with your favorite beverage, a notebook, your laptop, or even just your phone, and write down no more than three goals that you want to focus on for the rest of 2020. 

It’s a Shortened Time Frame

You have four months. Four months to achieve the goals that you’re creating this fall. That can seem like not enough time, but it’s actually the perfect amount of time to create short term goals. Creating and completing short term goals gives you a sense of accomplishment that you can take into the new year with you. It makes setting longer-term goals in the new year easier because you know that you can complete what you set out to do. A short term goal can be anything from learning how to make the best chicken noodle soup, to Marie Kondo-ing your living space, or getting up an hour earlier in the morning. Whatever your short term goals are, make them something that you can accomplish in the time of COVID. Salsa lessons are probably still out of the equation. 

Goals Provide a Sense of Purpose

One of the hardest things about this year has been feeling like we’re all surviving rather than thriving. Setting goals provides a sense of purpose. You have something to work towards, something to get excited about, something to challenge yourself with. We all need that kind of purpose otherwise it can feel like we’re simply spinning our wheels or simply marking time. Life is more than either of those things. We do best as individuals when we’re striving towards something. Give yourself something to strive for and use fall as your come back tour. 

It’s Never As Hard As You Think

Setting goals when you feel like you’re just surviving can be daunting. But goal setting shouldn’t fill you with dread, it should inspire and excite you. Setting short term goals that are achievable but challenging can give you a confidence boost right when you need it most. If three seems like too many to handle over the rest of the year, just set one. One goal that you can go all-in on for the short term. Imagine how amazing you’ll feel when you can mark it off as done!

When we finish our formal education, it can be easy to stop actively learning something. It can be easy to coast through life, going to our jobs, coming home and making dinner and then watching TV until it’s time to go to bed. But with goal setting, you give your system a jolt. You give yourself a purpose, a challenge, and a commitment to try something new. You help yourself grow and change. Setting goals for the fall is a fantastic way to ease into goal setting if it’s new to you, and a great way to recalibrate when you feel like life has gone off the rails. Grab your hot beverage of choice, cuddle up somewhere cozy and start thinking about 4 months from now. What do you want to have accomplished? You can do anything.