The Problem with Waiting for Someday to Go After Your Goals

How many times have you said, "I'll start that in January," or "I'll wait until I finish something else," or "I'll get to it when I have more time"?

If you've ever said something like that, what you're really saying is someday. You're pushing it to a date in the future, but not a specific date. Someday isn't a date. ​

1. You Can Be Busy Without Moving Forward

Most of the women I work with aren't sitting around doing nothing. They're doing so many things: working, taking care of people around them, supporting their clients, managing teams, managing their house, putting out fires. All the responsibilities. Whether you're in a business, a career, or even a stay-at-home mom, there's a lot on the go.

But being busy doesn't equal being productive.

You've heard of the hamster wheel. You're running fast, working hard.

At the end of the day, you feel tired, but you haven't necessarily moved yourself forward.

You feel like you're in the same place, and every day is the same.

Your biggest goals or your personal passion goals keep getting pushed until tomorrow.

Or even worse, you don't even know what your personal goals are.

Let me ask you: Are you actually moving forward with the things that matter most to you, or are you moving forward with things that are important to other people?

2. Stop Waiting for the Perfect Time

I have been guilty of this. Many of my clients have been guilty of this. Maybe you too.

You're waiting for January, or for all the stars to align, or after a vacation, when the kids go back to school, or when business calms down.

But then you realize: life never really calms down. Business never really calms down. If you want these things to happen, you just have to choose the time to do them.

With my one-woman show read-through, I kept wavering on the date: "Oh, I'm going to do it this time or maybe this date." Then I had to check with the theatre. Then maybe the night after school ends wasn't a great time. It's funny because my connection at the theatre said, "You know, Diane, anytime you pick is going to be a bad time for some people." And I was like, "Wow, you're so right." I just had to pick it.

Waiting for the perfect time is just procrastination designed as good planning.

We might be waiting because it protects us from:

• Failing
  
• Doing something imperfectly
  
• Making a difficult decision
  
• Having to change how we use our time (maybe our habits aren't very good, maybe we're scrolling, maybe we're spending time on tasks we should be passing off)
  

Here's your question: What are you waiting for before you give yourself permission to start? Is it a good excuse, or do you feel like it's a good reason?

Sometimes it is a good reason: "I've got this big project, so when that finishes I'll start." But have you given yourself a specific date? Have you put it in your calendar?

3. Your Goals Are Getting the Leftovers

Your goals are just getting the leftovers of your time, your energy, your resources, your priorities. They're really low on your list.

We often follow through more easily when someone else is depending on us:

• A client deadline—we do it
  
• Our kids need something—we do it
  
• Our team needs an answer—we do it
  
• Our own goals? We push those back and push those back and push those back.
  

Your most important goals can't live in leftover spaces, because there usually aren't any. We find a reason to fill them. Something comes up. Someone asks for something.

If you think of the jar story, if you put all the sand and little pebbles in first, and then try to add the big rocks, there's going to be no room for them. You have to put the big rocks in first. You have to intentionally create space, time, energy, and resources towards what matters most.

I sat on my book for probably a year. It wasn't until I pre-sold 350 copies to a women's convention, where I was scheduled as the opening and closing keynote speaker, that it actually had to happen. I also put off doing my podcast until my friend Michelle really pushed me: "Come on, we need to make this happen."

These were important to me in my business growth and in my personal growth. I kept putting them off because there was always something that felt more urgent. Can you relate to that?

4. You Don't Need More Discipline

When we don't follow through on something, we often blame ourselves. You might start asking yourself, "Why am I procrastinating? Why can't I be more disciplined? Why can't I just get this done?"

First of all, in coaching, "why" is the worst question. Instead, ask yourself:

• What is having me procrastinate?
  
• What is causing me to not be as disciplined?
  
• What is holding me back from just getting this thing done?
  

What's missing might be:

1. Clarity about what you want. When you don't know what you want, it's really hard to go for it.
   
2. A realistic plan. Maybe you're thinking, "I want to write a book, but I have no idea how to get there." (Side note: if you want to write a book or you have a written book, my team can help you put that together without spending tens of thousands of dollars. I've also got some strategies if you're having trouble actually writing it. Email me at [email protected])
   
3. Accountability. I was chatting with a woman I just met, and she was talking about the importance of exercise and weightlifting. She said these are top priorities for her, but she still joined a class to be accountable because she knows she has to show up and do it. That's the same with me and my personal training. Accountability helps us do things we know are good for us but maybe wouldn't have done as hard or as heavy on our own.
   
4. Support. It's not always easy, and it's not always things you know how to do. Having support to get things going will really help you get there. You can be extremely capable and still benefit from not doing everything alone. Smart people hire others to help them move forward.
   

5. Don't Add Another Five Goals

When you ask yourself really deeply what you want, and you get clear on that answer, it isn't adding five new goals to your plate. It's just maybe the one thing you've been putting off.

Ask yourself:

• Do I really want this?
  
• What makes this matter to me?
  
• What would change in my life when I follow through?
  
• What is stopping me?
  

Then get clarity around: Is it procrastination? Is it perfectionism? Do I not have clarity in the first place? Do I have too many priorities? Do I lack support?

Turn that someday into a decision. Someday on one goal that you've been putting off:

• Make a decision on that one specific action you could take even this week
  
• Make a decision on the one date and the one time that you'll actually do that thing: the first little step
  
• Make a decision on the one person you'll be accountable to
  

Just saying "I need to work on my goal" isn't a plan. A specific action scheduled at a specific time is.

Your Goals Deserve More Than Your Leftover Time

You don't have to wait till January. January is already busy. We're coming off Christmas. There's too much going on already. You don't have to wait until life calms down. You can have it naturally layer in. And you don't have to figure it all out alone.

Someday isn't a date. This week is. Maybe even September.

If you want clarity around what you want, a clear plan for moving forward, coaching support, mastermind support from other women, and accountability to follow through, I'm opening applications soon for my She's Goaled Group Coaching Mastermind Program, starting in September. Get on the waitlist today.

Listen to the full Dynamic Women podcast episode here.​

Or watch the full YouTube Video here. ​

Until next time, stay dynamic!