Hi, I’m Emma! I’m a part time blogger, full time kindle girl. I’m an aspiring graphic designer  and have lived with an ADHD diagnosis for 15 years. I have a cat named Barbie and a desire to help the world, one blog post at a time.

I've never been great at setting realistic goals, but this year I've decided to try something new: themed resolutions. I'm focusing on different aspects of my health—physical, mental, and emotional—to build a stronger, happier me.

In the past, setting goals felt overwhelming, and I often ended up feeling discouraged. This year, I'm taking a different approach by creating themed resolutions that touch on various parts of my life. My main theme? Health—in all its forms. I've realized that by taking care of my body, mind, and emotions, I can create a solid foundation for personal growth.

So with Spring coming along, I wanted to share some ADHD friendly methods on how I set impactful goals that not only feel achievable, but help me keep sight of my progress throughout the year. Spring is a time of renewal and growth, providing the perfect backdrop for setting and nurturing new goals. Now’s a great time for us to review our intentions for the year, and check in with what is working - and what may not be working.

Regularly Reviewing and Adjusting Goals

Flexibility is essential when it comes to ADHD-friendly goal-setting. Be prepared to review your goals regularly and make adjustments as needed. It's okay to change your approach or even modify your goals if they no longer align with your values or priorities. Celebrate small victories along the way to maintain motivation and encourage progress.

This January I set out to walk 10,000 steps a day to help with my cardiofitness score. At the time, I really thought this was going to be much easier than it has been lately. I overestimated my energy and as the days went on, I became demotivated by seeing the steps continuously falling below my target. So, I re-adjusted. Now, I am starting much smaller - 3,000 steps a day - and regularly hitting my target. Soon I will readjust my goal upwards towards 5,000 steps and then maybe 7,000 - the important lesson is, I listened to what wasn’t working, and found something that did. I use my LifeAt Planner to keep track of my step goal and log how many steps I am taking every day. By correlating my actual steps compared to what was on my plate that day, I am able to map out how my mental workload affects my body & adjust accordingly.

Embracing Growth and Patience

This is a journey, where the learning comes along the way. With ADHD, I find myself wanting to see immediate gratification, so I can get that dopamine boost & feel good. With the help of my therapist, I’ve learned to take moments to pause and be kind about my pace. I am moving as best as I can! Every day is a new experience, and the growth happens in the little moments.

It can be easy to fall into the cycle of go, go, go, now, now, now. Working and hitting goals, getting home and trying to turn my brain off by doomscrolling the internet. There’s always a sense of rushing and hurrying up to make sure I am doing something. Lately I have learned to pause and be patient. I’ve been taking time back by simply existing in the moment and reflecting on how my day is going. Enjoying the breeze, writing my gratitudes in my journal. Savoring a cookie. The pauses help me make room in my mind for reflecting on my journey and noticing the pace at which I am able to move. I have a #Self Care project in LifeAt that I use to pencil in all of the things I am doing to take care of me. By tracking the small moments, I build a sense of grounding and gratitude to close out my days as I plan for tomorrow.

Share your Progress with Accountability Friends

One of my favorite practices has been to find my own network of supportive accountability friends. We have a groupchat where we send each other little daily updates, affirmations, and pictures of our progress. The digital cheers and happy messages make me feel like my progress means something - not only to me, but to my accountability group. Every Friday we have a decompression session where we talk about our weekly setbacks, challenges, and share a little more about our processes as we work towards our goals. At the end of our chat I add a note to myself in my planner that lets me know what I am doing well on and may need to improve. Documenting my progress in my LifeAt planner helps me visualize my wins and the ways in which I am growing. It’s easy to lose sight of things as you move day by day - by being really intentional with adding notes to my future self, I am ensuring my victories are not forgotten.

We’ve built a nurturing community centered on celebrating our little wins, and supporting each other through our hard times. By sharing our thoughts and progress, we also gain the insights from our network on if a goal needs some readjustment - I know for me, I wasn’t willing initially to readjust that step goal. I thought if I could just push myself harder, I could do it. It took my groupchat gently suggesting I make a small shift to really help me see that I was being too rough on myself. Find a network of accountability buddies to help you as you set new intentions for this spring - by creating a community, you find out you’re not alone in this journey!

As you work towards your spring goals, be patient with yourself and embrace the process. Some seeds may sprout quickly, while others may require more time and attention to flourish. By cultivating self-compassion and perseverance, you'll be well-equipped to navigate any challenges that arise. I am making slow and steady progress on my health goal & I think for this spring, I want to incorporate outdoor yoga as a part of my routine. I’ll be setting a new goal of trying to do my yoga outside at least once a month - it’s an easy win, and gets me in the sunlight (which does wonders for my mental health.) To support my mental health, I think I will also incorporate drawing outside - writing sometimes feels inaccessible to me after a long day of work. Even a small drawing of a cat with a construction hat means I am making bite sized progress - which helps me stay motivated. Plus… my groupchat loves the drawings I send them on Fridays!

It’s okay to readjust and check in with yourself. Goals are wonderful in that they are flexible & you get to choose the ways in which you define success. Resolutions set at the beginning of the year may not serve us right now and may need some slight changes to make them more accessible to us - and I encourage you to review your own goals. Take what works, leave what doesn’t.

Remember that flexibility, patience, and self-compassion are essential components of the journey, and celebrate your progress along the way. We will grow along the way - together, one day at a time!

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