Habit Forming Daily Goals Are Key For Long-Term Success
Today I want to share 15 examples of daily goals. Also, how to choose, set, and achieve your daily goals for success.
Why?
I want you to be better today than you were yesterday and better tomorrow than you are today.
Thus, let’s get moving so you can start improving!
Examples Of Daily Goals For Success
Here is my list of 15 daily goal ideas for your careful consideration.
- Get up early
- Eat a healthy breakfast
- Adopt a positive attitude
- Accomplish something right away
- Keep an organized work area
- Clear your computer tabs
- Clean and organize something
- Take short breaks
- Exercise
- Say or do something nice
- Get outside your comfort zone
- Learn something new
- Eliminate or defer a purchase
- Reflect and journal
- Go to bed at the right time
Next, let’s go through each of these examples individually. Then, before we wrap up, I will get into several daily goal-setting techniques to help you on your way.
Disclosure: At no cost to you, I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
1. Get Up Early
Early morning is a relative concept. A musician or professional chef working late into the evening may not get up early compared to me. I start my day at 5 am.
Thus, whatever early means to you, consistently get your day started at that time. Make it one of your top personal goals for the day.
2. Eat A Healthy Breakfast
Most nutrition experts agree that breakfast is the day’s most important meal. My experience suggests the same.
When I met my wife-to-be in my early 30s, she couldn’t believe I didn’t eat breakfast. So, with her encouragement, I started to do so.
Having breakfast in me calmed my morning nerves. Also, a good breakfast left me less vulnerable to starvation by lunchtime. Which often led to overeating the wrong things.
3. Adopt A Positive Attitude
Stay upbeat and practice positive self-talk. Avoid negative thoughts because they often become self-fulfilling. Your life balance depends on it.
Yes, I know there are days when being positive is difficult. When that occurs, stand or sit up straight. Put a smile on your face and strive to dress and look your best.
Why?
You can control your physical actions more quickly than your mental ones. Often what happens is that your mind will follow your physical behaviors.
Furthermore, take your state of mind to a higher level. Check out this online course about:
Next is one of my favorite examples of daily work goals.
4. Accomplish Something Right Away
One of my rules of thumb is never to start a day with a problematic or vague task. By doing so, you risk getting off to an unproductive start. Thus, setting the wrong tone.
As a result, I like to start the day with an essential but more straightforward activity. Then, once completed, I set my productivity in motion. Thus, I’m ready to take on more challenging tasks as the day progresses.
One exception to this rule is creative thinking and brainstorming. Some of my best creative thinking happens early in the day when my mind is fresh and uncluttered.
Speaking of clutter, let’s tackle that topic regarding setting daily goals next.
5. Keep An Organized Work Area
Whether you use a table, desk, kitchen counter, or chair at your local coffee shop, keep organized. A clutter-free space is vital to make the most of your work day.
For example, I work at a desk in my home office. Typically, there are only two things on top of that desk.
First is my laptop. Second, any materials I need for what I’m working on a the moment.
Everything else is filed or stored elsewhere.
Why?
A cluttered workspace is distracting. Furthermore, unrelated items on your work site lead to higher stress from the feeling of having so much to do.
6. Clear Your Computer Tabs
The same principles apply to your computer. So, make it a point to open only the tabs related to your work.
7. Clean And Organize Something
I get unsettled when my house, garage, or basement rooms become cluttered or dirty. Yet, there is too much to tackle at once.
As a result, I break cleaning and organizing down into small tasks that fit into my achievable daily goals.
For example, I might take 30 minutes to scrub the kitchen floor one day. Then, the next day, I cleaned up the bathroom. Then, on another day, I wash a window or two.
Rinse and repeat, keeping each daily cleaning and organizing task list to no more than 30 minutes.
I’m sure you get the idea. Otherwise, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and not do anything.
8. Take Short Breaks
We are all busy, days get long, and energy levels fall. Thus, to combat fatigue, take short breaks.
My favorite break is closing my eyes, taking deep breaths, relaxing, and letting the tension drain from my muscles. I do this for up to a minute several times a day.
Try it. It’s rejuvenating, and a break like this will take you to a better place, if only momentarily.
Okay. We are a bit more than halfway done with 15 daily goal-setting ideas. So, let’s keep moving.
9. Exercise
Try to find 10 minutes a day for exercise. For example, I like to take long 3-5 mile walks. But on most days, that takes too long.
Thinking I need to do a long exercise program often leads me to do nothing. So, every day I strive for 10-15 minutes of exercise.
Here are some tips that work for me:
- A short walk around the block
- 100 lightweight bicep curls
- Stretching out my muscles
Then, on my days off, I will get a long power walk or jog to fit into my schedule. Thus, I don’t bog down my daily goals checklist with long exercise routines.
10. Say Or Do Something Nice
When I was a kid, I said something rude in front of my Dad. Honestly, I don’t remember what I said.
He looked at me and said, “If you don’t have something good to say, don’t say anything at all.”
They are wise words that I have never forgotten. So take that thought one step further and strive to say and do something nice for someone every day.
People will appreciate it. And you will feel better about yourself. And when you feel good, the sky is your only limit.
11. Get Outside Your Comfort Zone
A structured day is a positive aspect of life. However, keep your daily routine from turning into a rut.
Thus, look for a way to step outside your comfort zone. Most importantly, doing new and different things is one of many excellent ways to learn.
For example, introduce yourself to someone you don’t know at work. Strike up a conversation with a neighbor you have been avoiding for a while. Try a different exercise. Go to a club or city meeting.
Finally, everyone’s comfort zone is different. So, it’s up to you to decide.
12. Learn Something New
As I said, getting outside your comfort zone is a great way to learn. Furthermore, learning something new is one of many excellent daily goal ideas to set for yourself.
Continuous and lifelong learning is essential for mental well-being. Also, learning objectives are one of many examples of daily work goals to stay sharp on the job.
Therefore, continue to learn. And do so beyond your years of formal schooling.
13. Eliminate Or Defer A Purchase
I write a lot about personal finance and money management on this site. So, I must add a money-related objective to this list of daily goals.
Examples of daily goals to save money:
- Make your morning drink at home
- Brown bag your lunch
- Avoid impulse buys
- Defer big-ticket purchases
Remember, reducing or eliminating small expenses adds up over time. Furthermore, by deferring larger purchases, your interest in whatever you want may decrease after a few days.
14. Reflect And Journal
Take a moment to reflect and write in a journal at the end of the day. Doing so is one of the best types of goals.
Tracking your thoughts can be as simple as writing down one thing you did well and documenting one item or area from the day to improve.
Do this before you go to bed for the night. The timing allows your mind to work over these items overnight.
Thus, creating a subconscious form of self-improvement zone while you sleep.
15. Go To Bed At The Right Time
Last on today’s daily goal list is to go to bed at the right time.
However, the right time will be different for everyone. More importantly, sleep experts recommend going to bed at the same time every night.
Thus, optimize your bedtime to ensure you get enough sleep. Achieving smart goals depends on it.
Okay. That concludes my discussion of 15 daily goals examples. You can stack your daily goals into a 30-day challenge to have the best month ever.
Next, I will briefly touch on daily goals in the workplace.
Bonus Resource: Daily Work Goals Examples
Most of today’s 15 daily goals are of a personal nature. However, many of them can also apply to your success in the workplace.
To get more specific, here are a few more examples of daily work goals to consider:
- Streamline a process
- Hold yourself accountable
- Practice resilience
- Network with a new person
- Be more efficient
In-depth resource: Read more about Setting Developmental Goals at Work and achieving them.
Moving along, and as promised in today’s introduction, I want to cover setting daily goals and how to achieve your daily goals. Let’s do that now, then I will wrap this up.
How To Choose Good Daily Goals
The best way to choose goals for the day is to establish a long-term plan for what you want out of life. Then select the daily objectives that support your dream.
However, as I look back through today’s daily goals list, I see productive activities that can support anyone’s longer-term objectives.
As a result, there are no good reasons to overthink this. Or become too choosey and selective.
How Many Goals For The Day Should You Have?
First, ten daily goals are an adequate number to have.
Ten may sound like a lot. However, the most effective daily goals are habits.
Thus, you can work these goals into your routine without compromising time management.
How To Set And Achieve Good Daily Goals
Unlike medium-term and long-term goals, setting the goals we have discussed today should be simple.
Furthermore, there are three essential steps you need to take.
First, focus on making larger goals into smaller goals. Where practical, I emphasized this concept as we discussed each daily goal example.
Second, write your goals for the day on an index card.
Finally, put your index card someplace where you will see it daily. For example, next to your bathroom mirror, on the table where you have breakfast, or next to your calendar.
The key is that you see them every day. And you are mindful. Doing so provides a better chance to achieve your goals. Thus, a detailed action plan is not necessary.
Okay. That’s all I have about daily goal setting. So, please allow me to offer a few parting thoughts.
Wrapping Up Today’s Discussion About Daily Goals
First, remember that daily goals are the foundation of long-term success. They make it possible to achieve your vision no matter what it is.
Furthermore, remember that if you can envision something, you can achieve it. Whatever “it” is.
Second, recall what I said initially because it is the essence of daily goal setting. Strive to be better today than you were yesterday and better tomorrow than you are today.
Doing so is continuous self-development and how to achieve your daily goals.
Third, accelerate your progress by diving deep into this course about developing a winning mindset.
That’s all for now. Remember to be great, be diverse, and, most importantly, be you.
Before taking off, you might like some of our other articles about:
Turning Your Goals into Reality
Good luck, and thanks for reading!
Author Bio: Tom Scott founded the consulting and coaching firm Dividends Diversify, LLC. He leverages his expertise and decades of experience in goal setting, relocation assistance, and investing for long-term wealth to help clients reach their full potential.