Setting Small Goals

Small goals are easier to keep than big plans. They fit into a busy day. Start with one or two goals, not ten.

Make each goal specific. Say what you will do, how long, which days and when. A 10 minute walk after dinner on weekdays is clear. "Be more active" is not.

A paper calendar with the days Monday to Sunday across the top and three weeks down, with the weekend days shaded. Check off: a checkmark appears on each weekday of the first two weeks. Look each week: a magnifier passes over the checked days and an amber outline rings them, with the words What is working. Adjust: the calendar slides toward a doctor in a white coat, with the words Adjust goals.

Track your goal on a paper calendar with a checkmark each day. It works like a chore chart. Look at it once a week to see what is working.

Review your goal with your care team, and bring the calendar. Your team can help you change a goal that is too hard or too easy.

A paper calendar for one week, Monday to Sunday. Checks appear on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, while Wednesday and Saturday stay blank, never more than two blank days in a row. At the end, a magnifying glass moves along the week to look back.

Key takeaways

• Pick one or two goals to start with.
• Make each goal specific, with a time and days.
• Track your progress, and adjust goals as you learn.

Try it

Choose one small, specific goal and write down the day you will start it.