How to Manage Your Goals vs Commitments

No matter what your goals are and how much you want to achieve them, you will always have your everyday life to deal with.
It comes down to how much you really want to achieve your goals and make your dreams come true.

This is something I struggle with every day and I wish it was a lot easier to deal with. There are times when I’m going after my goals so hard that my everyday responsibilities fall by the wayside. And then, at other times, I’m so busy dealing with everyday tasks that I don’t have time to focus on my goals.

Neither of these outcomes are good and can make me feel like crap…which doesn’t help either.

So I had to take a step back and think long and hard about how to overcome this. I realised my problem was that I wasn’t prioritising things properly. I was just prioritising my goals but then forgetting everyday responsibilities need to be prioritised too.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to have a to-do list like this.

I tried this and it worked brilliantly…for the first week!
I kept adding to this list. In the end, I had more items on my to-do list than I was actually able to get done that I got overwhelmed and the whole point of having a to-do list in the first place was defeated.

So then I tried planning out my day with an hourly to-do list like this.

I found this list very helpful and by planning out my day in hourly slots, I was far more productive. But then what about the day when something urgent comes up that needs to be dealt with straightaway? And what if it doesn’t just last for a day? What if it lasts for a week or even longer?!

This is when I lose time and can be completely thrown off my game. It takes a while (longer than I would like) to get back on track.

So I found this.

This list allowed me to prioritise, not only what I needed to do every day in hourly slots, there’s ALSO a section for any unexpected tasks that I need to do take care of ASAP.

While I don’t think there will ever be a list that covers everything, having a list like this gives me an all-round view of my tasks, both planned and unplanned. I also like there’s space to reflect on why the day is special, giving a positive outlook for the day.

At the end of the day, how much time we dedicate and focus on our goals, commitments and everyday tasks is an individual decision. Even with a plan in place, it’s highly unlikely that we will stay on track 100% of the time. However,  it’s still important to have a plan in place to make sure that we stay focused in all the areas of our lives.

You can check out this link to find a to-do list that works best for you:
Every To-Do List Template You Need (The 21 Best Templates)