Goal Setting Fridays - What Exactly Is a “Single Moment Goal”?

Welcome to Goal Setting Fridays!

Why Fridays?
So you can ruminate over the weekend & get a fresh start on Monday!

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Last week, we talked about how to
Sort Your Goals for Goal Setting Success

Sorting our goals involves organizing our dreams and aspirations into one of three categories:

• Single Moment Goals
• Habit Goals 
• Longterm Goals

Today, I want to take a moment and talk about Single Moment Goals.

Many of us are familiar with Habit Goals and Longterm Goals,
but what exactly are Single Moment Goals, and why do they matter at all?

A Single Moment Goal has a few qualifications that make it unique:

• It can be defined in just a few words.
• It can be achieved with a few simple actions.
• It generally has one singular result.
• It can be achieved in a short period of time, generally under a day.

“Wait a second,” I hear you asking, “Is something that small really worthy of the word 'Goal'? Isn’t it just a To Do List item?”

Good question!

Your To Do List is probably like mine: full of simple, action-based tasks. Crossing items off your To Do List feels fantastic, but let’s be honest. At the end of the day, do you ever cheer, “Yay, another goal completed!” No, you don’t. You’re just happy to get stuff done.

A Single Moment Goal may be brief, but it's still a proper goal - something worth reaching for, something that takes effort beyond the every day. Any goal - big or small - should require us to reach outside our comfort zone, even just a little. 

How do you tell the difference between a To Do Item and a Single Moment Goal?

Goals always involve some degree of risk.

Signing up to receive a newsletter? No risk. Not a goal.
Signing up to audition for a play? Risk! Definitely a goal.

Buying a head of lettuce? No risk. Not a goal.
Starting your first day as a vegan? Risk! Absolutely a goal.

Ordering a book? No risk. Not a goal.
Emailing a publisher? Risk! Total goal!!

Notice that all these actions are small - signing up for something, shopping, sending an email. Each can be completed with a reasonably small investment of time and effort. But once you recognize that element of risk, you can feel the transition from a To Do Item to a Goal!

When trying to decide if an action should go on the To Do List or the Goal List, simply ask:

Is there any risk in doing this?
Do I get butterflies in my tummy when I think of completing this action?
Will this stretch me beyond my comfort zone?

If you can see the risk, fantastic! Name it and acknowledge the emotions spurred by that risk. Take a moment and imagine what it’ll feel like to complete that action. Finally, put it on your list of Single Moment Goals.

If there’s no risk, simply move the item over to your To Do List. Make sure it gets done quickly so you can spend your energy focusing on your actual goals.

Next week, we’ll talk about the "secret message" in those pesky items
that stay on your To Do List for weeks, months or even years!

What are some of your Single Moment Goals for 2022?