Three Things You Need To Achieve Your Goals

In order to achieve your goals in the new year, you usually need more time, money, or resources.  Finding ways to acquire more of that will be one of the biggest things you can do to help you make progress and actually achieve your goals this year.

Time

You have 24 hours in a day.  How you use that time is what’s important.  A third of that time is usually spent sleeping.  You need to get an adequate amount of sleep each night so that you don’t wake up groggy.  Set aside time to sleep so that you can rest and recharge.  You want to have a clear mind and enough energy to take action towards your goals.  Sleep is super important so don’t short change the amount of sleep you’re getting just to try and have extra time to work on your goals.  Instead, focus on the other remaining time you have to fill.  This time is filled with some tasks related to achieving your goals, daily routines, good or bad habits, hygiene, and other non-goal related tasks.  If you need more time to achieve your goals, then take a look at how you’re using your time each day.

Time Inventory

Start by taking an inventory of what you do on a daily basis for three to five days.  Keep a planner of what activities you’re doing each hour.  Pay attention to what you’re spending the most time on.  Maybe you find a bunch of wasted time scrolling social media or watching tv.  Perhaps you find you’re spinning your wheels on monotonous tasks that you could delegate to someone else.  Then, there are the tasks that only you can do.  These are the essential things that you must do and need to put into your allotted time.  This includes goal related activities.  Find the holes in your schedule where you can shift activities to more productive goal related tasks.  This is how you make more time in your schedule using the same 24 hours you’ve been given.

Money

Next, is money management.  Sometimes you need more money in order to achieve your goals.  Maybe you’re looking at a large financial investment to improve your environment or you’re working to set yourself up for financial stability in your retirement years.  Knowing what money you have coming in and how much money is going out each month will give you the exact numbers to know how much you can actually spend towards your goal.  If you currently have a deficit, more money going out than coming, then it’s time to take a good hard look at your financial budget.  Maybe you need to cut expenses or find ways to increase your monthly income.  You’ll only be able to achieve your goals that require money if you have financial literacy.

Money Inventory

Take an inventory of your money.  Keep an accounting log of the money coming in and the money going out for the past few months.  See where your expense and cash flow are going.  Perhaps you find a bunch of subscriptions you no longer use that you can cancel.  Maybe you can negotiate a lower rate for some of the things you’re currently paying for.  It could be that you set boundaries on frivolous expenses and choose to save that money instead.  You might open a high yield savings account and start educating yourself on investing to help your money make money.  Maybe you start selling items around the house that you no longer use for a quick cash flow injection.  Possibly, you start a side hustle to make extra income.  Be honest with yourself about your current financial situation and decide if you need to reduce expenses or work to increase your monthly income in order to achieve your goals.

Resources

Then, sometimes you just need to have the resources to achieve your goals.  This means having the skills, knowledge, and knowhow to take action towards your goals.  Occasionally, a goal is just a little out of your reach because you don’t have the specific set of skills or expertise in a certain area.  That doesn’t mean that you give up.  It means you get creative and seek out resources to help you.

Resources Inventory

Begin by writing down what resources you currently have.  Maybe this is your own set of skills, people you know you could reach out who might know someone, a program you’ve already invested in that might have the answers, etc.  Then, make a list of what resources you need.  This is what you still have yet to acquire.  Maybe you need to hire a mentor, take a class, further your education, etc.  Perhaps you need to ask for help and get more hands on deck to achieve what you want to accomplish.  Find ways to fill the gaps between what you already have and what you’re lacking.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help or invest in yourself to achieve your goals this year.

More time, money, and resources are the three things you need in order to achieve your goals this year.  Acknowledge which one of these three things would help you make the most progress towards your goals.  Then, take inventory of what you already have and what’s working versus what you still need.  Work to bridge that gap so that you can achieve your goals this year.

Take Action Challenge

The Time, Money, & Resources Audit

Over the next week, you’re going to identify the one constraint holding your back from making progress towards your goals and you're going to start removing it.

Step 1: Identify Your Biggest Bottleneck

Ask yourself:  If I had more of this (time, money, or resources), I’d make real progress towards my goal.

Choose just ONE and don't overthink it.

Step 2: Do a Mini Inventory

If you chose TIME:

• Track how you spend your time for one full day

• Highlight 1–2 activities that drain time without moving you closer towards your goal

• Decide what you’ll reduce or replace this week

If you chose MONEY:

• Review the last 30 days of your spending

• Identify one expense to cut

• Decide where that money will go now in order to support your goal

If you chose RESOURCES:

• List what skills, help, or knowledge you’re missing

• Identify one resource you’ll seek (mentor, book, course, conversation, tool)

Step 3: Choose ONE Fix

Pick one action you’ll commit to this week.

Examples:

• TIME: Block 30 minutes in your calendar

• MONEY: Cancel one unnecessary expense

• RESOURCES: Ask for help or invest in learning

Write it down and schedule it!

Step 4: Take Action (This Is the Most Important Part)

Do the action without waiting to feel ready.  No excuses.  Progress doesn’t come from having more.  It actually it comes from using what you already have differently.

You don’t need a ton more time, money, or resources.  You just need to stop leaking what you already have.  Small shifts create big momentum.