Goal-Setting on the Go

Many of us have the opportunity to travel or take a vacation in the summer, but what do we do about our goal setting when we’re away? How about our habits? We’re diving into all things goal setting-on-the-go in this blog post and hope you'll leave with some practical tips and fresh perspective for your time away this summer!

When we think about the topic of vacations and goal setting, we often jump to very narrow questions: should I bring my goal planner with me when I travel? Do I have to keep doing all my usual habits when I'm away?

While those aren’t bad questions, the truth is that there's no-one-size-fits-all answer. What you’ll decide depends on the trip—where you’re going, for how long, who you’re traveling with, what the purpose of the trip is—as well as how often you travel, what type of goals you’re working on, and your own preferences, among other things.

So today, instead of giving exact answers for exact situations, let's get grounded in some fresh perspective. We'll call them our goal-setting-on-the-go guidelines.

Goal Setting On-the-Go Guidelines

A few things to remember when you're away from home.

Progress doesn’t have to be even across the board.

Your goals do not have to be evenly distributed across the calendar months, with the same amount of effort each month, week, or day. We know this, but sometimes we forget it—or feel like we’re cheating if we skip a week or have a week with no goal progress. 

But that’s not true. Cultivated goal setting leaves space for intentional pauses, for margin. It leans into rhythms of rest instead of being scared of them. You’re not doing it wrong if you have seasons where you lean harder into your goals and seasons where you rest.

There is something delightful about taking a purposeful pause on forward motion, especially if you're a high-achieving recovering perfectionist. This is a feature of PowerSheets® many women love: they keep your big dreams safe until you're ready to return to them. Life isn't static—sometimes we have plenty of bandwidth to devote to goals and at others, very little—so having a trusted place to hold your plans and progress can help you relax and enjoy what's right in front of you.

Cultivating what matters is bigger than a habit tracker.

Boom. You know we love a habit tracker around here, but it’s true! You can still be living on purpose even if you don’t live out your SMART goals while on vacation. You can still be living on purpose even if you don’t make official progress while you’re way. Cultivating what matters is not just about making traditional goal progress, and it can’t always be quantified by checking off a habit tracker.

Travel is an opportunity for your goals.

Instead of defaulting to either 1) replicating your goals and habits on vacation exactly as you do them at home, or 2) ditching your goals completely, there’s an opportunity for a really beautiful middle way. 

For example, you might want to maintain some of your habits, but do them in a way that feels totally new. I have a friend who has a habit of morning quiet time, and she really looks forward to vacation knowing that she’ll get up early before everyone else and do it in a new spot, maybe with a good view.

As another example, when I traveled to Michigan last year with family, I knew I wanted to move my body each day and had some thoughts about how I might do that, but then my sisters-in-law invited me to run and walk with them on some mornings. I didn’t know beforehand that was how I was going to fulfill that goal, but it was fun and energizing to do it in a new and unexpected way. 

If you let it, travel can be a really beautiful reminder of why you love your goals and habits! Instead of feeling resentful for having to keep up with them while trying to have “fun,” you might see them in a whole new light. So, be open to letting people into your habits and goals, be open to switching things up in the way you live them out, and be open to seeking out the fun that might be more readily available on vacation. 

As always, be stubborn about what matters and flexible about your methods.

Practical Tips for Goal Setting On-the-Go

1. Name what matters.

This is where cultivating what matters always starts!

For goal setters, it’s helpful to name the purpose of your trip before you leave, just like you pack your suitcase and prep your itinerary. That way, you’re going in with the right expectations—and as we all know, expectations are huge for how you feel about a situation and how satisfied and enjoyable it is.

A little forethought goes a long way. What is the purpose of your trip? Is it to rest? To enjoy time with family? Explore a new part of the world? Celebrate an accomplishment? Whatever you name might help you figure out how you want to live out your goals while you’re away.

This is especially true because for many of us, travel is often a goal in itself! It’s something we work toward, save for, plan intentionally—it’s something we put in our PowerSheets! If that’s the case, it’s even more important to really stop and recognize your achievement, to enjoy it and be present, instead of continuing to work toward the next thing.

2. Make a plan.

Step two in cultivating what matters: break it down!

Knowing what matters about your trip, what would add to the experience and help you to live on purpose? 

If there’s a habit or action step from your "regular life" that would add to the experience, make a plan to do it. 

If there’s a habit or action step from your "regular life" that will take you away from enjoying the experience, skip it (where possible!).

Think through what your mind and body and spirit need—what would make you feel better while traveling? Do those things! What might make you feel worse if you didn’t do them? For a lot of people, exercise falls into this category. In theory, it sounds good to skip workouts, but sometimes that ends up making you feel sluggish and not like yourself. Instead of pausing those things, find a different way to live them out.

As you work through a plan, researching your destination can help to make it realistic. Find out what workspaces, fitness equipment, food, recreational activities, or down time, will be available so you can plan accordingly.

3. Live it out, pivoting along the way.

You've got your plans, and now it's time to live them out. Pivoting will be key.

Yes, it’s so helpful to think through a game plan in advance, but it’s also really important to hold that game plan loosely. A plan might sound good before you leave but need to be reworked once you're on the ground: you might have different time constraints, you might not have all of your usual supplies, there might be a last-minute outing or meal you want to be a part of that scrambles your plans. Be open to those things!

One additional factor that might necessitate pivoting: unless it's a solo trip, there are other people around. Your immediate family members, extended family members, your travel companions. When you travel with others, they will have an intimate look into the way you live and the goals you're working on. That can be wonderful—but it can also be hard! For example, if they don't understand or support what you're doing, they might have a lot of *feedback* about it. (Think: more visible goals like working out, or goals having to do with what you're eating or how you're spending your money.) It's worth it to mentally prepare for this in advance (and remind yourself of the why that's powering your goals!).

On the other hand, traveling with friends or family can be a delight and give you a real boost! Travel companions can make for great accountability. 

Tell those you’re traveling with about the goals you want to make progress on while you’re gone. Simply stating your goals aloud is proven to increase the likelihood of success, but with the added accountability of your friends and family, you’re likely to see good progress.

Those you’re traveling with may even want to be a part of your goals. Have a fitness goal? Invite them for an evening walk with you. Practicing daily gratitude? Have everyone share something they’re grateful for at dinner. When your travel companions are involved, they can provide encouragement, check in on your progress, and help keep you accountable for your actions. Achieving goals together can make traveling together all the sweeter.

One final tip for goal setting on-the-go:

While we've focused on your time away in this blog post, it's also worth it to spend just a bit of time preparing for your return home. That way, you can seamlessly transition back into your regular routines and continue making progress without skipping a beat. For example, you might tidy your spaces, make a meal plan and grocery list, or stock a meal in the freezer for the first night back.

What would make you feel relaxed and ready to jump back into your normal routines when you return home? Doing just one to two of those things will be a real gift to future-you.

We'd love to hear: how do you handle goals and habits while you travel? Leave a comment and let us know!