Most of us often put off big goals because they seem so overwhelming. The experts will tell you to write down your goals, but BIG goals, like “lose 20 pounds” or “find a better job,” often lead to procratination because you don’t know where to start.
As you probably know, the trick is to break down the goal into smaller “mini goals.” Setting mini-goals makes it easier to move toward your larger goal, and for me, the big goal then doesn’t seem so intimidating. In fact, accomplishing one mini goal usually motivates me to move onto my next mini goal.
So, this is where Monday Mini Goals comes into play. As you know, I recently turned 29. I know that 29 is not old, but my body sort of feels that way lately. I have a bum hip that won’t heal completely, my lower back is constantly sore, and my core is incredibly weak. I don’t attribute these “ailments” solely to old age, but I know that I need to work harder to maintain a healthy body. Guys, basically, I’ve been slacking in the workout department! I’ve been putting in the time, but not pushing myself as hard as I can.
My new goal is to challenge myself during workouts and get seriously buff again like I was last summer. Of course, this goal is totally overwhelming, especially without a game plan. I’ve decided to set one mini goal for myself each week to work towards my big goal of getting super tone again.
I’m sure most of you have big goals for yourself, too. So, if you want to take part in my Monday Mini Goals, feel free to leave a mini goal for yourself in the comments of this post. Identifying a goal on Monday (or even Sunday night) is a great way to start off the week.
As you complete your mini goals, be sure to comment about your next mini goal, so you always have something further to work towards. Hopefully, spelling-out your mini goal will make you feel accountable and encourage you to accomplish it. Seeing other people’s goals might also inspire you or remind you of things that you want to achieve.
Be sure to make your mini goal something that you can actually accomplish in a short amount of time– otherwise, you may get discouraged and give up on your goal all together. Ideally, your Monday mini goal would be something you can accomplish before next Monday. And, your mini goal doesn’t have to be related to health or fitness– feel free to think outside the box, like “organize kitchen junk drawer this week.” I find that setting small goals for myself helps me accomplish so much more in my busy life.
My Monday Mini Goal: Strength train 4 times this week (2 upper body workouts, 1 lower body, 1 full body + core strength training on all 4 days.)
Breakfast
My mom works at Idylwilde Farms, which sells an impressive selection of whole foods and fresh produce– I’m actually sort of jealous of her job!
For my birthday this year, my mom put together the most amazing fruit basket full of all sorts of my favorite fruits plus a number of interesting and unique ones I have never tried. I was obviously psyched about it! 
I took this pic of my mom’s gift after I “organized” all of the fruit. The fruit basket was MUCH prettier before I made a mess of it. I also put some of the non-refrigerated fruits (e.g. red bananas, plantain, etc.) back in the basket for this photo opp. But, you get the idea, right? 
I had quite the selection to chose from this morning!
This morning, I added strawberries, figs, and a small plum to my morning bowl of oats. The combination of fruits naturally sweetened my oats and gave them a fun pink hue.
I also added 2 scoops of almond butter to my oats and an iced coffee to breakfast. 
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Question of the Day
What’s your mini goal for the week?
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Great post!
My mini goal for the week? Not taking more then one midol per night. Yes..I’v been addicted to midol. (well not really in a bad way) But I’v trained myself to think that I NEED it, during bad cramp/lady time. Sooo this week, I am going to try to naturally make myself feel better with peppermint tea and bananaas! If I must, I will take one at night time…but only one. One is better then the 4 per day/that time of month I have been taking before!
I love the concept of mini-goals! With our wedding coming up, I feel like there are 8,000 things to do and NO time to do it! Mini goal: just pick the tuxes. Nothing else
P.S. Don’t think I knew you’re only a month older than me !! Happy birthday (late, and again!)
My mini goal is to do my physical therapy exercises 5x this week (single leg squats, stretches, and foam rolling). Also, I really need to sweep and mop the floors of my apartment! Have a good Monday
I hope to incorporate a decent amount of exercise to my daily routine – every day. Even if it’s just a quickie routine on a really busy day!
Yesterday’s cook out looked awesome! I can just imagine your family ready to dig in as you hold them back so you can take perfect pictures first!
I try to have three mini goals each week–one addresses nutrition, one addresses fitness and one addresses general balance. This week, they are:
-make better use of freezer food (I just thawed out some wild cod from TJs to make oven roasted fish N chips!)
-swim twice (it seems to do more for my arms than my weight workouts)
-get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep each night
Fantastic idea, Tina. I agree that it can be overwhelming to attack a larger goal, and approaching the end goal with mini goals along the way is much more conceivable. There are a few larger goals I’m working towards, the most essential one being finding a new job. Therefore, my mini-goal for this week is to speak with at least one potential employer regarding a future position.
I actually already posted this on my blog, but my goal this week is exercise 60 minutes each day except Friday. My race is Saturday, so I’ve gotta get some last minute training in! I love the idea of weekly goals.
My mini goal for the week is to weed out my clothes. We’re about to move and I have clothes that I’ve been moving from place to place but I never wear them!
Hi Tina,
What a great idea to get everyone motivated! I have a huge goal of losing 50+ lbs. and sweets are my weakness so this week my mini-goal is to NOT EAT ICE CREAM! I know I should allow myself a little indulgent but I just go overboard so it’s better not to start at all
GF Guy and I are going out of town Wednesday – Saturday for a wedding. My mini-goals are two part:
1) clean out the frige before leaving
2) exercise while away so I don’t feel gross when I get back
this is a great post, tina. my mini goal is to attend a yoga class – i went to my first real class this past weekend and loved it, and i want to make it a habit!
I definitely need to get back into a regular sleep pattern. Between the crummy weather & not getting the sleep I should – my energy level has been suffering.
Thanks for the motivation Tina!
My mini-goals this week would be
1. Wake up early to fit in a workout. I never have time after work so I have to change it to the morning.
2. Eat more greens!
3. Go to the Farmer’s Market
LOVE your oats this morning! The pretty pink hue just sells it.
I really like the Mini Goal idea! Thanks for letting us join in too.
My Monday Mini Goal for this week is to make sure, since I am on vacation and it is somewhat more difficult, I get some sort of exercise and strength training in. I can do this well when it is just me and my family, but my friend is coming later this week and he does not like to exercise at all…so we will see how i can trick him into walking or something!
My mini goal is to do 2 hill workouts and 2 arm workouts this week. I know my half marathon in October is going to sneak up, and I want to be strong!
ooh those oats are so pretty, naturally colored by fruit!
I love mini-goals!
My mini-goal for the week is to organize my 2nd kitchen pantry. This pantry is the one that has my cleaners, serving platters, paper towels, candles, trash can, trash bags, etc. It seems to also be a catch-all for my junk. I organized our food pantry this weekend, so this one is next. I dread it, but now with your motivation, I feel more accountable!
HA!
To get ALL of my hw done by Wed so I can enjoy this weekend and to follow my marathon training plan to a T. I seem to have missed a lot of work outs lately :’(
This post came at a great time! I’ve been trying to lose some weight – the first 5 lbs came off fast, and then I relaxed and haven’t gotten any further. So I have two goals this week: exercise and diet.
Exercise: 6 workouts this week – a combo of walking, running, and at least 2 strength training sessions
Diet: No sugar this week and no coffee! (The second is going to be difficult…)
My mini goal is to get in 30 minutes of cardio every day and strength train at least 3 times this week. I have been slacking in the strength training department lately!
I LOVE your mini goals idea. I tend to get overwhelmed with long term goals and a week is the perfect amount of time. My goal for this week is to manage my stress better. I find that between school and work and running around between my place and my boyfriend’s, I’ve been a little on edge. My goal is to do yoga at least three times this week and to take a break and step back when I start to feel overwhelmed instead of getting upset. Thanks for the great idea!
Love the mini goals idea! Making small changes that stick is where its all at, in my opinion.
I love your morning bowl of oats too!
my mini goal for the week is to get up every morning this week til thursday and do my 30 day shred video!
I love the idea of mini goals! Thats so cool your mom works there!!
All your new fruit looks fantastic.
My mini goal is to stop all negative thoughts in their path!!
SO weird – I was thinking about this and setting goals for the week on my way to work today! Here’s my mini goals this week:
Strength train 3x (M/T/Th)
Run 3x + long run Friday morning (4x total)
Put away laundry!! (I hate doing this!)
My mini goal this week is to just go a little easier on myself. I know that sounds like a curious goal, but I’d like to achieve it. I’m a very active person and am in training for a marathon, and I have the tendency to work out too much and not give myself full-on rest days. I’m not a compulsive overexerciser–I’m just very, very motivated, and I love running. This week, I’m going to observe one day where I do nothing, not even yoga. I know that my body always appreciates the rest, and that it is unquestionably good for me.
Great idea, Tina! I know you will be successful in meeting your goal to become more buff. Good luck!
I LOVE how buff you look in that picture! My mini-goal this week is to drink AT LEAST 80oz water daily (I haven’t been a good water drinker lately).
My mini goals for the week are more strength training and core work. Great idea for setting mini goals. I try to set goals for each week.
So funny – I started setting mini-goals last Monday, so I guess I’ll participate here, too
My mini-goal is to do something – anything – to get moving every day this week.
yummy oats!!!
love the PINKness
My mini goal this week is to be positive!
i love the pink oats!
weekly mini goals are such great motivators!
Mine this week will be to run at least twice and do yoga at least twice.
I would like to be physically active every day this week. Even if it’s only 10 minutes.
My Monday mini-goal: Do 2 sets of 10 push ups every morning this week!
I’m so weak, I’m looking forward to feeling strong next Monday haha
Thanks for the motivation
I grew up in Acton, so we went to Idylwilde Farms all the time. Such great produce and wonderful fresh baked breads.
I have a few mini goals for this week:
1) Get my garden under control before I head to Michigan on Thursday. I have tons of weeding to do.
2) Try green tea – I bought a box this weekend, but am somewhat intimidated by it. Weird I know, but I’m never been much of a tea drinker.
3) Drink 8 cups of water everyday. At work this is easier, but I’m terrible on the weekends.
My mini goal is to stay really positive this week. There are lots of changes coming up in my life, and I need to realize that most of these are out of my control, and things happen for a reason.
I also want to make my sister in law feel really special this week. She is 8.5 months pregnant and has the flu, plus her birthday is tomorrow. She needs to feel good about herself!
@Jocelyn: Have you tried those pads that you can stick to your stomach that heat up? I’ve found them to be more effective help for my cramps than pain killers.
I have a couple of business-y mini-goals. One is to find renter’s insurance since my company dropped me for weather related coverage (this happens all the time in New Orleans), and the other is to see if my bank will give me a car loan so I can be in a better bargaining position when I buy a car in the next few months.
Great idea with the mini-goals..good for you…glad to see you had an enjoyable vacation..Seattle looks beautiful….
Looking forward to seeing you at the Summit in August.
Have a great day.
Best,
Amie
The Healthy Apple
My mini-goal this week is to stop being so hard on myself. Lately, I’ve been really stressed about juggling everything – work, family, my relationships with my friends… I need to take a step back and realize that I can’t control everything, and that’s nothing to feel bad about!
Fantastic idea! My mini goal for this week is to work out at least 4 days. I’ve really been slacking in that area lately.
Your oats look delish! I love the pink color!
Great idea! My goal this week is to run twice before my 4 mile race on Saturday! Today is rainy so starting tomorrow.
Love the fruit basket!
Love this idea!
I am trying to do some form of exercise M-F before we go to the beach for July 4th (bathing suit season is hereeee). I also want to clean up my eating and be really proactive about SLEEP!
I think I may write these goals on a post-it and put it in my planner to keep me honest!
Great idea. My mini-goal? Work three hours on curriculum mapping (Gag me please) and lesson planning for next year (did I just whimper?).
No mercy.
No procrastinating…
*sigh*
My mini goals for this week are to:
1. Find shoes and a dress for the wedding I’m in next month
2. Lights out by 10:15 Monday through Wednesday this week so I won’t be exhausted during my days off like usual.
Great post! The fruit looks yummy!
I love the idea of Monday mini-goals! My mini goal this week is to complete every workout that I have planned for the week.
FUn pink oats!! I too have a big goal I want to accomplish by my fam reuinion by the end of July! I’ll have to try and come up with mini goals each day/week in order to achieve my big goal!
Great idea! My Monday mini goal is to plan out my indulgences; this week in Milwaukee we have a huge music festival called Summerfest that runs until Sunday. I am planning to go at least twice and will need to save some calories for the great champagne (classier than beer eh?), sampler platter of appetizers and other yummy treats that are available only this one week per year. This will mean making sure to get my veggies in early each day, a la Green Monster – and eating lighter before heading to the festival grounds.
Next week, my mini goal will have to do with my vacation in Boston!
I love those pink oats!!!
Ive never heard of a red banana either! Very nice basket from your Mom!
My goal mini goals this week is to do some laundry each day… not wait until the weekend to do it all!
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