The start of a new year often leads to goal planning. Life can be a juggling act at the best of times, especially for women over 30 who may find themselves managing careers or their business, parenting, looking after elderly parents and all the other demands that come with adulting. I understand if you feel the last thing you need are lofty goals you don’t believe you even have time to work towards.

Goal planning doesn’t have to become another burden

If you keep your goals simple, specific and measurable (more on these aspects later), they can provide a map for you in 2025. Once you have your goals, keep them handy, and whenever you’re facing a decision that doesn’t appear to have a simple answer, ask yourself:

• Will this move me closer towards my goals?
• Will this move me away from my goals?

Below, you’ll find 3 practical tips to help you set and achieve your goals without adding to the chaos of the New Year. As you set your goals for 2025, pay attention to how whatever you are writing makes you feel in your body.

#1. Begin small and be specific

If you’re 30+, you’ve likely set big, audacious goals in the past that inevitably were placed in the too-hard basket when life happened. Completely overhauling your life or getting in the best shape of your life are lofty goals, but they lack specificity and don’t feel achievable to most people. Instead, hone in on what feels achievable according to your lifestyle and get specific. Some examples:

• Write down “walk outside 3 times a week” instead of “walk more”
• Write down “cook dinner at least 3 times a week” rather than “eat out less”

These smaller, manageable steps create momentum and confidence without triggering burnout. The key is genuinely believing your goals are possible. Small wins lead to significant changes over time. And by keeping small promises to yourself, you build self-trust, which can lead to many possibilities.

#2: Align with your truth

No one knows you better than you know yourself. Deep down inside, you know what you yearn for, even if you don’t allow yourself to dream of what’s possible. If you’re having trouble devising a list of 3 or 5 goals, start here:

• What truly matters to me right now?

From here, you can reverse engineer what needs to happen in 2025 to add to your life positively. When thinking about your truth, consider your values and if your goals align with your core values. For example, if connecting with loved ones is important to you, a goal where you choose to work an extra 2 hours a day is likely contradictory.

When we’re goal setting, our priority is to end up with our unique goals, not the goals our culture, society and well-meaning loved ones tell us should matter.

#3: Be flexible and focus on progress rather than perfection

We are constantly growing, changing and evolving. You won’t likely be the same person on 1 January 2025 as on 31 December 2025. And we all know that life happens, meaning the more rigid your goals are, the less likely they are to survive when unexpected challenges arise. Be flexible and allow your goals to change and evolve as they need to throughout the year. Your goals are guideposts, not immovable destinations. Something that means so much to you as you read this may organically become irrelevant by the time you make it through 2025.

As for the perfection piece, so much of our overwhelm stems from the perception that we need to be perfect. (I’m not finger-pointing here; I’ve had the same realisation about myself.) Consistency and progress matter more than perfection, which doesn’t even exist. Celebrate the small steps you take towards your goal at the time; it’s so easy to get caught up in whatever’s next.

Tracking and celebrating your progress

Don’t forget to track your progress along the way. If you’ve ended up with goals you can’t track, tweak them slightly to be measurable. Most importantly, celebrate in a way that feels comfortable to you. Positive reinforcement keeps you motivated and reminds you of how far you’ve come, even when the end goal feels distant. If you want to learn more about habit formation, I recommend reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. I particularly like the emphasis on systems rather than goals, which makes sense to me. Here’s a link to my short and sharp LinkedIn summary.

Goal planning doesn’t have to be another source of stress or overwhelm. Although this concept is annoying, I have found it to be true when pursuing my own goals: The journey is what matters most. This reminds me of this quote (I am paraphrasing) I heard in a YouTube video a while back:

There’s nothing at the top of the mountain, but there’s plenty along the way.

If you want to delve further with using writing as a well-being tool with 1-on-1 support, explore my Soulful Steps Pilot Program. I have 2 places left as 1 is already gone. A 50% discount is available for a limited time only and you can secure your spot in 2024 for a 2025 start if you wish to. You are welcome to reach out with any questions you may have, and I’m happy to schedule a Zoom call to see if we are a good fit: info@sarahcannata.com