Now that you have your five values in life, dive deep and think about resolutions you can do for each goal. Brainstorm. I add on to my lists constantly.
Here are my life goals brainstorms for your perusal. Feel free to steal any, all, or none of these.
Fitness Goals Brainstorm
- Record time working out
- Make new recipes
- Do food prep
- Count calories
- Drink 4 things of water a day
- Go back to being vegan
- Vegan before six pm
- Buy a new Fitbit and keep track of 10,000 steps
- Do pull up progressions until you can do 8 pull ups like a bad ass
- Keep a food diary
- Track your push ups
- Count macronutrients
- Take a picture of your food to see what you’re actually eating.
- Take measurements of your body
- Do 21-day Pilates challenge
- Eat a salad for breakfast
- Don’t eat sugar
- Take dancing lessons
- Go outside every day. Humans outside.
- Use your left hand instead of your right hand
- When you sit with your legs crossed, indian style, consciously uncross your legs and then cross them the other direction. Try to balance yourself.
- Move furniture. Maybe it prevents Alzheimer’s.
- Do a Nerdfitness challenge
- Use a smaller plate
- Weigh your food
- Try the Whole 30 Diet
- Use a plate that contrasts with the color of your food
- Use the fitness notebook from bodybuilders.com
- Do stretching exercises to get your splits
It isn’t what you do, only that you do. What are you trying to make it easy for yourself to succeed? Different people will respond better to different things. Figure out what you respond to. I can’t do that for you. It’s a long slog.
Slog shouldn’t have a negative connotation. I picture it like sloths moving. Slow, but with purpose and with a smile. Yes, the days can get long and dreary, but just think of how short the years are.
Writing Goals Brainstorm
- Work on any book you’ve started for an hour
- Work on blog posts for 45 minutes
- Write down observations on meditations
- Write down observations on fitness routine
- Draft a course on happiness
- Write down observations on diet
- Write down observations of people
- Keep track of word count (e.g. Write 1,000 words/day)
- Do morning papers
- Write a book proposal for any of the books you’ve started
- Write every day. This should be number one on the list.
- Do writing prompts
- Or character sketches
- Try to post on your website 2/week for six months.
- Try to post on your website 5/week for a month (short ones – 300-500 words)
- Write agendas and minutes for board and committee meetings for The Power of Publishing LLC
- Use a pen on your paper journal
- Write letters. Handwritten letters. And then mail them out.
Blog Post Ideas
- Book reviews
- Mom’s recipes
- Travel stories
- Why you quit social media-ing
- Old posts you deemed not good enough to publish
- Aim for long attention
- Something about generosity
- More fitness articles
- Current resolutions
- Wear sunscreen post with past posts
- Reread old comments for ideas
- Answer emails
- Volunteer
It’s the toiling that’s the reward. Enjoy the toil. That sounds kind of dirty.
Meditation Goals Brainstorm
- 10-day meditation retreat
- 24 minute meditation
- Write about meditation
- Who’s to say what’s good or bad on chart
- Be mindful/present in the shower
- Try different type of meditation
- Attend the Tuesday Buddhist meditation class in your neighborhood
- Show empathy
- Be stoic
- Practice negative visualizations
- Practice Gratitude
- Meditate in butterfly stretch position
Social Goals Brainstorm
- Go out every single day
- Invite multiple friends to do something
- Take dancing lessons
- Go to an art museum
- Go to Casa Bonita
- Try skiing
- Or snowboarding
- Start a book club
- Send people letters
- Get active on social media
- Answer emails
- Try dating more
- Go somewhere to write
- Go somewhere to work out
- Keep in touch with old friends
- Talk to my parents
- Talk to a member of my family
- Make eye contact with strangers when out and about. Be pleasant and extroverted.
- Minimize screen time
- Answer emails
- Attend a Spanish meeting group at the library
- Look your best so you feel comfortable going out
My introverted soul needs prodding to extrovert. My extroverted life is happier than my introverted life. Going against my nature is hard, but rewarding.
Business Goals Brainstorm
- Work on blog posts
- Work on course
- Taxes, LLC stuff
- Change domain?
- Hire someone?
- Take a class on business
- Take a class on CS
- Write board agendas and take minutes
- Treat it like a business and other people will too.
- Part-time job that sounds interesting and different and fun?
- Schedule and hold board meetings
- Write a business plan
- Reply to emails
- Books on business?
- Guest posts?
Oh, I am not a natural entrepreneur.
But I’m not a natural extrovert either and I still have friends. Maybe that’s not a good comparison.
***
Any suggestions on anything to add?
Move furniture. Maybe it prevents Alzheimer’s. Hahaha – look into research done with lions Maine mushroom for an idea
I’m not surprised that mushrooms have super powers. I read How to Change Your Mind
At least lions Maine isn’t a banned substance, it just boosts brain power and destroys the plaques in the brain that causes Alzheimer’s.
Unless your comment was more of a motivational joke to justify the movement of furniture haha
And I’ve been harpering about nothing
I’ve actually read that moving furniture forces your brain to make new pathways, thus preventing Alzheimer’s.
Business Goals Brainstorm – I sense your lack of direction, there is an element here to learn and it’s not in css classes but in story.
Yeah, that’s definitely the most fuzzy of the life goals. I just like the idea of learning coding, but you’re right that it won’t do much for my readership.
Your tip is to read: Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen Book by Donald Miller
It will become very clear to you what you need to do.
Let me know how you go.
I’ll put the book on my reading list.
Because I like fitness and writing – a lot – I’m all over your lists. However, I feel this is a large number of goals for one person to handle. At least more than I could handle. After reading your previous post on this topic, I started thinking of my immediate short-term goals: build a kick-ass gaming computer from scratch; do an abstract painting that I can hang on the wall of my dining room – this wall needs help; either ride in or buy a Tesla. I hear the acceleration is so quick it snaps your head back. While perhaps not the most noble of endeavors, they seem like fun to me. BTW, one of the best places I find to write are hotels. They all seem to have Internet service plus you can look at many interesting people and sometimes overhear interesting conversations.
I agree it’s too many goals for one person. I just pick and choose each month what goes on my resolutions chart, tweaking along the way and figuring out what works for me. Brainstorming is just to get as many ideas out there as possible so you have a large pool to pick from. 🙂
I don’t think I’ve ever written in a hotel, but now I want to try. Thanks for the suggestion!
Can I go to Casa Bonita with you??
Yes! Let’s do it. I’ll send you an email. 🙂
Your stuff just gets better and better and more valuable….love it, and you!
Thank you.
I never get tired of reading that! Thanks, Rudy. I’m glad you’re finding it valuable!
I’m a ‘list guy’–and you’ll refine yours and no, you don’t have too many….and I want to go to Casa Bonita, too.
Let’s do it.
The cool Mexican restaurant in Denver, si?….been there, es bueno.
Good reason to fly to Denver.
I’ve been told that it’s not exactly…cool. It’s an experience.
“Why you quit social media-ing” followed by “Get active on social media”… I sense some contradiction here : ) I like your lists. Thanks for sharing!
Finding happiness necessitates some hunting and trying different tactics. 🙂
May be the social media is needed for you bloggers :), but I have deleted my FB account 4 months ago after watching a TED video by Cal. I used FB mostly to follow choosefi groups but felt it was taking too much of my time. I still use insta though, as I am an active runner and follow my runner friends on Strava and insta. I will delete insta eventually.
I’ve never heard of Strava. It’s a social media for runners/athletes. Interesting.
I’m jealous of you though. I’d love ot delete facebook. I installed the facebook feed eradicator that seems to help.
Thank you – you made me jump up and take body measurements 😳 – I had never done that before.
So I guess that’s good, but what now?
You don’t happen to have read a book on fitness on long work&children filled days? My energy levels differ quite a bit and any fitness regime would need to be built around that. Would love if you had some tips or ideas.
PS i keep coming back to your blog, please don’t stop writing!!! (And apologies for these superfluous exclamation marks – must be irritating for a lawyer/writer to read.)
PSPS and thank you for sharing your story with us!!! (Oops, Did it again. Sorry)
LMAO. Now start working out regularly and take measurements every couple of weeks. 🙂
Fitness is worth making the time. Maybe incorporate your kids into your routine? Like, if they’re babies, do squats while holding them. If they’re older, have them do the workout with you. Instill fitness at a young age. Make it part of your life. Go bike riding together. Umm, I’ll let you know if I come up with any other ideas. My go-to motivational method is to just yell at you to DO IT.
Plus, fitness gives you MORE energy when you do it.
Go to the group Red Rocks workout on a Sunday morning with me – social and fitness goals!
That’s an excellent idea! I can’t this coming Sunday, but I’ll try the next Sunday!
Thank you for listing out your brainstorming ideas. I have always been good at making projects/goals but then don’t spend the time brainstorming. I will give that a try to see if it gets me to be more proactive. Maybe add it to my todo for the month – brainstorm one project on list every day :).
Long time reader but I don’t comment too often – your articles in the last couple of months have been awesome. Keep it coming.
You have no idea how much I appreciate you saying this. Thanks!