Goal Setting and Belly Dance: Put it on the Calendar!

Now that you have 3-5 specific, large goals with micro-goals that set you up for success, it's time to put those micro-goals on the calendar!

Start with today. Choose ONE micro-goal and schedule it in. Better yet, go do the micro-goal and then read the rest of this post with a sense of achievement.

Next, look at the rest of the week and schedule in a time to work on each micro-goal.

If you start feeling overwhelmed, maybe it's time to cut one of the goals.

These goals are designed to encourage you, not cause you to quit. If you need to cut a goal now or move it to next month, now's the time to edit your list.

On the other hand, if you feel as if you're not doing "enough," don't succumb to temptation! Complete the goals you have first for at least a week before you add to it.

Our imaginations are limitless; our time is not.

Ideally, you'll work on the goal at the same time throughout the week for consistency's sake.

This works well if you have smaller time frames for each goal: 10 minutes or so at a time.

Now, what if you're time blind or your schedule changes daily due to work or family or the change in seasons?

I recommend habit stacking.

Find a habit you already have built into your day and add your goal to it.

For example, I wake up and immediately drink a cup of coffee. I don't just drink it; I nurture it; I develop a relationship with that cup of coffee.

Because I take so long, I've added blogging to my cup of coffee habit.

Now I'm doing something I've done for 20 years and added a new habit to it.

Let's say I wanted to stack a belly dance habit with my caffeine addiction. While I drink coffee, I could watch a belly dance video on Instagram and write down what specifically I want to work on today. After I've had the coffee, I'm ready to move! I've already planned out and visualized dance, so I get up, turn on the music, and move for 10 minutes.

You can do this with any established routine from brushing your teeth to taking a lunch break to taking a bath.

I lose my calendars or forget to look at them, so habit stacking has been a more successful form of goal setting for me.