So you’ve set a goal, started taking action and now you can feel the energy waning. You’re in the messy middle. This is the part of the plan where things just aren’t happening as fast as you’d like, it seems more difficult than you first imagined and now you’re not sure if you’ll finish, even though you really want the result.

Desiring more from our lives is good. It doesn’t mean you aren’t thankful for what you already have or achieved.

I believe it’s an inbuilt longing that leads us to live a more meaningful + fulfilling life. To be a good steward with what we’ve been given. And most importantly use what we’ve been given to bless those around us.

Desiring more in and from our lives is good.
So, don’t give up!

There’s a way to stay motivated from the initial excitement of the possibility through to celebrating success.

One thing you can do is break down your goal into smaller pieces.

Whenever I find I’m not making the progress I’m wanting to make on my goals, I ask myself, “Would this goal would be more achievable if I broke it down into smaller pieces?”

By breaking your goals down into smaller actionable tasks you’re better able to focus on what you need to do.

And when you can focus on what you need to do, and do it, you’re banking small consistent wins over time. This momentum can help you to keep on going until you reach your goal.

But there’s more.

Science has proven what we’ve found to help navigate through the messy middle and achieve our goals. Not only that, if you follow these five steps you’ll almost double your rate of success than someone who simply thinks about their goals.

So what are the five steps?

1. Decide on your goal

In the Monthly Master printables there are spaces to write down your goals + projects for the month, whether they are new or continuing from the previous month. This helps to clarify what you’ll be working in this month.

This really helps me from over committing myself and being distracted by shiny squirrels!

New ideas are a blessing and at times a curse of creativity. Making a note of what you’re working on helps to stay focused and achieve your goals. But write that good idea down on a master list so you can come back to it later.

The medium Chic Planner kit.

2. Write it down + what you’ll need to accomplish it

Once you’ve decided on your goal, you’ll want to break it down into smaller pieces using the Action Plan printable. If your goal is a combination of two or more projects, fill out an Action Plan for each project.

Be sure to fill out your motivation, the why, section. This is the fuel that will give you the strength to keep going on those challenging days. We all have them, it’s normal. With your why firmly in hand you’ll be able to journey through the messy middle more easily.

Decide when you’ll be checking in on your progress. Many of my projects have weekly check-ins and I’ll talk more about that in step 5.

Give yourself a target to aim for and name a completion date. This is only written on paper, not set in stone. It can be changed if the situation needs it. So write when you’d like to have this project completed. Besides you need to know when to make space for a celebration!

In the Notes section, make a list of all the resources + people you’ll need to accomplish the project.

The medium Chic Planner kit.

3. Set out a plan to achieve it

Going back to your project Action Plan, turn over the page and write down all the tasks + activities it will take to complete your project. They don’t have to be in order. It’s better than you write them all down than fuss about the order they’re written in.

When you have your weekly meeting ( I’ll talk more about in step 5 too) you’ll need to make time in your schedule to work on your project tasks + activities.

The medium Chic Planner kit.

4. Share your goal with someone

Find someone you can share you goal with. It may be your spouse, business partner, another family member, friend or an online community.

5. Check in weekly on your progress

This final step is the most powerful. And it’s the one that about doubles your rate of success.

I’ve seen our family do it week after week for the past 2+ years. And we’re amazed at all the things we’ve accomplished together.

The most recent would be our Super Spring Clean around the home. Over three months we washed inside the house from top to bottom, de-cluttered our belongings, tidied up, weeded + mulched the garden, made repairs about the house, including washing + doings paint touchups outside the house. It was a huge project but small consistent wins each week saw us reach the finish line and achieve our goal. they only thing we didn’t include was to reorganise and de-clutter the garage. That’s a different project for this year.

We stayed on track and supported each other simply by having a family meeting each week.

Every Sunday we all cook breakfast together, one of my favourite family times, we pull out our planners + devices and plan for the week ahead. We do see other things in our meetings that I’ll share with you next month, so be sure you’re on the list to be notified when that article is published.

Our Sunday family meetings.


And most important of all … don’t forget to celebrate your success along the way!

When you follow these five steps, you’ll become who you need to BE to achieve your goals. You’re going to know what to DO to achieve them. And it will be no surprise that you will HAVE the results you’re looking for.