6 quick tips for making and keeping your summer goals

6 quick tips for making and keeping your summer goals6 quick tips for making and keeping your summer goalsWhen I was talking about my June goal with one of my closest friends, he said, Theres no way youre going to be able to do that. Watch me, I said. I bet you 100 push-ups you wont, he said. Deal. And we shook on it.Its officially June, which means summer is upon us.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreMost people I know think of this time of year as a time to day-drink by the pool, go to the beach, hang out on a boat (if you know someone with a boat), meet up with friends on rooftop bars, and so on. And while I certainly enjoy doing all those things, those activities actually arent the first things that come to mind when I think of summer.What I think of aregoals.More specifically, which goals Id like to achieve by the time fall comes around (and winter shortly after).For as long a s I can remember, this is how Ive always treated my summers- going as far back as summer vacation in high school, and even middle school. Summer was my time to explore new video games and challenge myself to defeat bosses. Summer was my time to get better at playing hockey, or record songs in my bedroom closet. Summer has always been a time of embracing a new challenge, and then pushing myself to overcome that challenge in a condensed period of time.So, if youre thinking about how you can make and keep your summer goals, here are 6 quick tips for you to run with.And dont forgettalking about your goalswont bring them to life.Youre going to have to work hard this summer to landsee your goals come to fruition.1. Set your intention for June, July, and August by writing it down somewhere you can see it on a daily basis.Telling yourself, This summer, Im going to isnt enough.Instead, take an afternoon or an evening and really think about what you want project you want to get done, what ski ll you want to practice, what goal you want to achieve- and then write it down.Write it somewhere you can see it. Write it somewhere thats part of your daily routine (like on your desk, or on your bathroom mirror). And then, taking a page out of one of my favorite books,Think and Grow Rich, read that intention or that reminder youve written down out loud on a daily basis.Speak it into existence.2. Set monthly, weekly, and even daily goals for yourself to reach- and check-in with yourself as often as possible along the way.Truthfully, goal-setting is easy.Its the accountability side of things people struggle with.Instead of thinking about your summer as one massive chunk of time (90 days), try to visualize your summer as 3 separate chapters (June, July, and August). Then, break each one of those chapters down into sub-chapters (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4). And then within those sub-chapters, really internalize each day that makes up each one of those weeks (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, D ay 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7).Now, set micro-goals for each.Where do you want to be at the end of, say, June? And what goals do you need to achieve in order to get there? How can you break those goals down into weekly milestones? And how can you break each one of those milestones down into daily micro-milestones?The more you can help yourself see the next step in front of you (opposed to the entire 3-month journey), the more likely you are to remain consistent and connected to the process.3. Dont talk about your goals to anyone except 1 or 2 people in your life who will help hold you accountable.When I was talking about my June goal with one of my closest friends, he said, Theres no way youre going to be able to do that.Watch me, I said. Ive been putting this off for too long. Im going to do it.I bet you 100 push-ups you wont, he said.Deal. And we shook on it.Now, why I even had that conversation with my friend in the first place was because I wanted him to help hold me accountable. I wanted him to ask me in a week, or two weeks, how things were going- and how close or far I was from achieving my goal.What I dont recommend, however, is telling anyone and everyone in your life what your summer goals are.Why?Because science has actually proven that youre more likely to achieve your goals if you keep them to yourself (theres a terrific TED talk on the topic).4. Avoid making your summer goals the same types of goals you set all throughout the year.I find summer to be one of the most inspiring times of year.Its a great time to allow yourself to create things you might not normally create- or make progress in directions you wouldnt otherwise prioritize. For me, summer has always been about picking goals that are less directly correlated with professional success, and more about self-expression and long-term creativity. Its my way of maintaining some sort of connection to that child-like feeling of summer vacation, where these 3 months dont feel like the rest of the yea r.Ive always been a big believer in routine changes and creative breaks, so treat your summer as a way of reconnecting with a different part of yourself.Youll be thankful you did.5. Create a reading list that reinforces and inspires you in the same direction as your summer goals.One of the best ways to keep yourself engaged is to constantly feed yourself that same type of external material.For example, lets say your summer goal is to finish writing your first (or second, or third) book. Well, then I would recommend you read other books within your same genre- to keep the ideas flowing, and inspire you to see it through to the end. Id also recommend you listen to podcasts that touch on the same topics youre writing about (to give you some added perspectives), and that you watch documentaries or Netflix shows that tackle similar themes.All these input sources will only add fuel to the fire.6. Choose how you spend your summertime wisely.Of course, all the above means nothing unless you deliberately make the time to work toward your goals.This is always the hardest part for people- saying No to the Saturday neighborhood festival, or the group of friends that wants to go to the beach. We hate feeling left out. We dont always like the idea of staying home and working quietly, by ourselves. Sometimes, we even feel guilty for not being outside, for not being more social, for not X, Y, and Z.But these are the tough choices youre going to have to make- if you want to end the summer with a big goal of yours completed and achieved.Choose wisely.This article first appeared on Minutes.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people