Alright, we all know that when we get to the new year there is this underlying pressure to set goals. And I’m all about goal setting - don’t get me wrong - but the pressure sucks. Then add goal setting for ADHD folks into the mix; that’s a whole other beast.

Did I reach my goals?

Did I forget what half of them even were?

Did I set too many goals? Not enough goals?!

Wait, who did I tell about the goals*?!

(*And then you worry about if that ADHD ability to overshare took over and you spilled the tea about ALL your goals to everyone but then did your lack of short-term memory stop you from locking it into memory and then geeze - who do I need to worry about because let’s be real; we tend to worry about a lot of things.)

Ya, sometimes having goals isn’t fun.

But here’s the thing, goals are good, writing them out is good, stick to them? Ya, that part can be hard. Then add in any form of neurodivergence and sh$@.

You have ADHD - it’s going to take you longer to get that habit to stick

I get it, I hate it too. You try and try and try and still get suck not getting it all done. Firstly, I want to say let that be ok. Be ok with that for yourself. Did you know that people with ADHD have a lot harder time creating new habits? No really, there are studies that we need more time - and consistency - than that “standard” 28 days to create a habit stuff they keep telling us. SO get it out of your head that you can - or should - do it in someone else’s timeline. Create your own, give yourself grace and space to try, try again, and then tweak it and try again.

Out of sight out of mind.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that writing out your goals in your journal is all it will take. Even more when you have ADHD. You know it’s “Out of sign out of mind” for us even more than for other folks so write them out, make them cute and colourful if that works for you, but then keep them out, set a calendar reminder to review them, break it down into further steps, you know, you get it, you have to break things down to get anywhere with these goals. It’s not a set-it-and-forget-it thing.

No really, write them out.

Make it something you actually want to look at. Or a spreadsheet with great formatting if that’s what does it for you (I’m AuADHD so I’m a bit of a mixed bag with what works for me but I LOVE getting to check things off my list).

There are a lot of amazing planners out there (I love the Happy Planner) but don’t fool yourself, most of us ADHDers don’t do well with planners. Paper or otherwise. Don’t buy another one! Ha. Really, if you have something that already works DON’T TRY AND MAKE IT BETTER EVERY YEAR! Don’t fix it if it’s not broke. You know us ADHD folk have a knack for picking up new hobbies but then never really leaning into them. Don’t do that with goal setting to. Getting yourself all set up with all the paper, pens, markers, and stickers, but then never actually setting or doing any of your goals.

Don’t overcomplicate it. It’s about setting AND doing your goals.

But of course, on the flip side, I don’t really like goal setting without making it pretty but I now have a system and I don’t F$%@ with it anymore. I know I need to leave it alone and just do it, JUST DO IT!

For us - Marshall and I - we set a date in the first week of January every year and that’s our Goal Setting and Review Session. I know, stiff name, but I give everything a name because it gives it more presence in my calendar and I take it more seriously (yes, that is a brain hack that works for me; find the ones that work for you, trust me, they’re the best).

Goals don’t have to be complicated

I like to break down my goals into sections. You’ll want to figure out which ones work best for you but here are some of mine:

Gardening
Travel & Fun
Friends & Family
Business - Amanda Douglas Events
Business - Camp Rover (of course)
Health
Savings & Finance
Marriage

Accountability is Key

We all know we’re not going to do a lot of things but goals shouldn’t be one of them. The whole point is to actually do them! If that means:

Getting an accountability buddy, do that.

If that means you break your goals up into quarters 1, 2, 3 and 4, do that.
If it means creating a date with yourself - or others - to go over your progress and struggle, do that.

I’m not going to tell you what or how to do this because we know a lot of us ADHDers also don’t like rigid instructions. Pick -and-try an option or two, and see if they work for you. Then if it works, lock it in! Write it down and use it yearly. Sometimes, for us neurodivergent folk, we need that in THIS way; this is a spot where you can set it and forget it. Put that in your goal-setting list - that list you're going to keep for yourself to go back to each time you set your goals.

Bite-sized pieces only.

I might be losing some of you, you might be getting to that point in goal setting where you’re like “Ya, I’m confused, overwhelmed, I don’t get it - and I for sure won’t stick to this without really seeing it in action”. I get that. So I’m going to break down my goal-setting process.

Take what works for you, leave the rest, but trust me; as someone who’s been setting, reviewing, and keeping goals for my whole life (ask my Mom & Dad, it’s been a thing I’ve done for forever) I’ve spent a lot of time working with this neuro-spicy brain of mine “hacking” whatever I can to get to my goals.