Nine Expressive and Fun Ways to Plan your Goals Track With Visual Progress Corn dollies are fun, but artistically I’m more drawn to typography and lettering. After I chose my goals for the year, I created a piece of hand- lettering for each one and hung them on the wall. I represented my yearly goals with a single word, beautifully written. Then I kept a stamp nearby to stamp on that paper for each day I made progress towards that goal. Much like giving yourself a gold star, this practice helps keep track of which goals are progressing. Keep Two Jars of Marbles One of the reasons I was able to lose forty pounds last year was that it was very easy to keep track of carbs visually with marbles. Rather than marking a notebook or pulling out an app, I kept twenty marbles in a lovely jar. As I used up carbs throughout the day, I would transfer a marble for each carb into an otherwise empty glass for the same purpose. At the beginning of the next day, I’d move them back to the first jar and the count began anew. This approach was simple enough to keep up with, and the visual representation helped me get a sense of proportions. But this technique can be used for other tasks besides diet planning. For example, I have also used marble counters to keep track of which clients were getting the most attention throughout the week. Much like a swear jar, any goal can be tracked with counters, marbles, or other small beautiful ephemera. If you have a goal to exercise three days a week and to read every day, you could start with three red marbles for exercise and seven marbles for reading. Hang Bucket List-Inspired Art The tradition of feng shui suggests that if there is a place you want to travel to, you should frame an image
of that place in your house. It doesn’t take geomancy to see the value in this practice. Instead of a movie poster or a random bit of art, consider decor that serves as a daily reminder of the future you are working toward. If your goal is to wake up earlier, frame a beautiful sunrise in the room where you most frequently stay up past bedtime. Make an annual ritual of rethinking this artwork. If the goal is incomplete, the next year you may add an additional item or replace it with a new piece if the old goal no longer serves you. Place Goals Next To Vices Television and video games have their place, but sometimes we turn to these activities out of habit rather than intention. Craft or place an object near your favorite guilty pleasure that reminds you of a different habit you’d like to cultivate. You can keep the next book you intend to read mixed in with your Playstation games or gather sewing projects in a wicker basket by the TV. Desktop Background Reminders If you have daily habits you aim to achieve, use your favorite graphic design program to customize your desktop background with reminders. If you are looking to practice gratitude, you might add the text Today I am grateful in your favorite font, over an image you already use for your background. As with your wall art, you could also choose an image that is representative of your goals. If you want to grow a garden, a lush garden landscape image will remind you to check on your plants every time you If you are trying to establish a new habit, you’ll want frequent reminders. Why not use your ringtone as a subtle notification? If looking to improve your posture, hearing “Get Up, Stand Up” when your phone rings could act as a random reminder to snap out of a slouch. use your computer. Ring In A New Habit
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