When people think about setting goals for the next year, people frequently think about setting New Years Resolutions. Can I ask you a question- do you actually keep your resolutions?

Chances are that you don’t. (And if you’re reading, and you do, then more power to you!)

But people who continually fail resolutions often like the idea of being able to implement new things in their lives regardless. Instead of trying to do everything at the start of the year, you should try to spread out your goals throughout the entire year!

Thus, a 2020 goals list is a perfect way to spread out your goals and resolutions across the entire year.

What is for 2020 List?

2020 is a goal-setting strategy exercise for you to select activities and behaviors you’d like to implement in the next year. The intention is to get you out, trying new activities, and pushing you out of your comfort zone for the upcoming year.

People say they feel like time just races on by, and it certainly feels that way sometimes! By doing a 2020 goal list, you’re allowing yourself to engage in more purposeful activities that will hopefully help bring you closer to your goals.

While there are no right or wrong items to pick, there are definitely some things to consider when setting up your list.

This article will help you optimize your 20 for 2020 list, and provide ideas and inspiration to add to your list. In the end, you can get your hands on a free printable to let you get started immediately!

Pick Activities that Are Realistic

Remember that your list of activities should be activities that you can easily do within your time in 2020. If flying to another country is likely something that you can’t afford, don’t worry about putting that on your list for 2020!

But consider engaging in activities that you can do in 2020 to help you reach your goal sooner, such as doing a saving money challenge. While you may not be able to complete the goal within the time frame, you can certainly take steps to get you there faster.

Consider Your Calendar

 

The most successful projects happen when you’re best able to evenly split your goals across the entire year. Trying to do too many things at the same time will likely lead to burnout, frustration, and giving up earlier.

Not sure how to do this successfully?

Majority of your items should include tasks that you can complete in less than a week. Examples could be:

 

• Planting a garden
• Going on a weekend camping trip
• Going out to lunch with a family member

 

Intend to do 11-15 of these smaller activities for your 20 goals in 2020, depending on your comfort level.

 

For mid-range tasks that take anywhere between one week and one month, you should make sure that you aren’t filling up every month in your calendar with these types of items. Examples include:

• 30-day challenges
• Longer vacations
• Short-term health challenges (21-day challenge, for example)
• Sampling new things (new diets, a month-long class, etc…)

For long-term activities, which last anywhere between one month and one year, you’ll want to significantly limit the amount of these activities. Examples include:

 

• New habits you intend to do daily
• Taking a longer class
• Joining a club

In all, you should plan to do no more than 3 long-term activities from your 20 goals.

The trick is you want to make sure that your list is sustainable.

 

The last thing people tend to do is trying to pick things that are extraordinarily meaningful. Now, this isn’t bad, but if it’s not fun and meaningful for you to do, you’re going to find the process of trying to complete your checklist to be filled with joy.

 

So definitely work on improving yourself or tackle big projects, as your 2020 goals is an amazing time to do this. Also make sure to relax, try new things, and have a good time as well!

 

You can literally pick anything you want for your 20 for 2020 project! I definitely recommend sticking to the guidelines above to help make sure that you are more likely to find success. However, coming up with ideas can be tricky sometimes!

Here are lots of great ideas to consider for your 2020 goals.

Go Someplace Far Away

Does it ever feel like you’re just constantly seeing the same things in your life over and over again? Or maybe you know you get sick of winter by February! Change your scenery and go someplace far, far away!

It doesn’t matter whether you drive, fly, or hop on a cruise ship, go someplace new and have a vacation!

Visit a Favorite Place

One of the places that sparks tons of amazing memories of my childhood are where I went to summer camp for eight years as a child. And I was thinking the other day- I haven’t visited there in over 13 years! That made me feel a little sad, considering it was my favorite place to go every single summer.

So if there is a place you love to go to, and you haven’t been there in a while, rekindle the magic and go check it out again!

Go Camping

Camping is a lot of fun, full of adventure, and you always come back with a ton of fascinating stories to tell your friends. If technology is wearing you down and you’re ready to reconnect with nature for a while, go camping! It always seems like no matter where you go, you never have to travel far to enjoy a tent, a sleeping bag, and a star-lit sky.

If going to a campground is a little challenging, go camping in your backyard!

Take a Road Trip

Road trips are terrific because you can always find adventure, whether it’s 30 minutes from your home or on the other side of the country. Learn more about events and sights close to where you’re at, visit a nearby state you’ve never been to, or meet a faraway friend someplace in the middle.

Road trips are extra amazing compared to hopping on an airplane because while it takes longer to get to your destination, you can find more things to do along the way.

Stay Overnight at a Local Bed & Breakfast

Have you ever stayed at a bed and breakfast? I’ll tell you what- I haven’t either! But I’ve always wanted to.

They are a little more unique from a hotel in that you’re spending time with other people also passing through for meals. You’re basically sharing somebody’s home that they’ve opened up to for guests and visitors! But it can be a wonderful way to travel and make new connections at the same time.

Start a New Habit in 2020

People love to envision starting these new, amazing habits for the new year. Well, it turns out almost all of the people who will set these goals for their New Years Resolutions will ultimately fail. (Hint- here are seven reasons why!)

Thankfully, while you’re using your 20 for 2020 goal challenge to improve yourself, you don’t have to change all your new habits on January 1st!  Try sprinkling in new habits and routines across the entire year to help make 2020  more successful.

And, if starting a regular habit is too involved, try to do new things for just a week or month. That way you don’t have to try to commit to things you may not enjoy.

Do a 30 Day Challenge.

30-day challenges are an amazing idea to try for your 2020 goals because they don’t require a ton of sacrifice. You get the opportunity to ‘try on’ a new habit for a month, and then you can determine whether you want to continue doing it or if it’s not working out for you.

Not to mention, there are dozens of types of 30-day challenges that you can try! Health, food, fitness, organization- you name it!

If you need some ideas for 30-day challenges to try out, here are some great links for your convenience!

Learn a Skill.

Why is that school is for kids? Learning is a lot of fun and can help tremendously with making life feel more purposeful. So why not use one of your 2020 goals for building a skill that you’ve always wanted to learn?

If going back to college is a little out of your reach, or you just want to do it from the comforts of your home, consider joining Skillshare! Skillshare is an amazing online community with over 30,000 online classes and workshops. You can learn skills such as:

• Doodling Tutorials
• Learn Adobe Creative Cloud  (seriously if you want to learn Photoshop, they have the best class!)
• How to Create an Amazing Instagram Account

If you’d like to try two free months of Skillshare for Planning Mindfully followers, you can do that here!

Improve Your Relationships in 2020

Spend 2020 building better relationships, getting rid of toxic ones, and getting more involved with your communities. Here are some great ideas to try for your 20 for 2020.

Do a Social Media Friend Purge.

I’m sure every time you hop on social media, you always come across that one person (or five… or twenty) that you can’t stand. Maybe you’re always comparing yourself to them, or you have vastly different views on politics and religion. What’s beautiful with social media is you don’t have to litter your feeds with people who aren’t helping you improve yourself.