A New Tool To Help You Reach Your Goals

“Whatever you want to be or be a part of, you know that leaving it to luck, to chance, to fate, probably isn’t going to get you there. You’ll need to plan and focus and work really hard. That’s where The Timeline Project™ comes in to help. It’s all about capturing your dreams, zooming them into focus, prioritizing and making them actually happen. It’s an online tool that’s part journal, part mood board, part info-rich resource. And it’s all yours to play with, get inspired, update, and share as often as you want.” 

I hadn’t planned to post about The Timeline Project this week. Actually, the truth is quite the opposite. Until just a few days ago I had never even heard  of it. Like many things that are simply meant to be, The Timeline Project inexplicably fell into my path. During my daily ritual of browsing through my favorite blogs, I came across a headline announcing the arrival of this newly formed platform for millennial women. Needless to I was intrigued enough to read more.

The Timeline Project was founded by Bayer Healthcare, the big guns behind a few pharmaceuticals you might be familiar with including Aspirin, Aleve, Yaz and Mirena. Yes, the last two are the birth control drugs you’re thinking of. I offer this disclaimer up front to acknowledge that I recognize this fact as well as the fact that this project is a way for Bayer to probe young women to consider their family planning choices as they think about their life goals. With that being said, I want to emphasize that supporting this project is in no way a stance for or against the products this company supplies.

The reason I want to share this project with you is because I actually find it to be a very well designed, beautiful, and useful tool for goal setting. At The Single Diaries our mission is to advice and inspire you to develop your relationship with yourself to its greatest extent. Helping you figure out what you want in life and  how to achieve those things is critical to that mission. If there is a tool out there that we feel could be of help then of course we want to share that with our readers.

There are several bits which I believe make The Timeline Project a great tool. First, it is incredibly easy to use. They have outlined six different categories from which to begin selecting your goals. These categories range from personal health to civic engagement and each has a robust list of goals from which to select. This is nice because it helps you to think through all aspects of your life and want you would like to achieve out of each. The second reason I like The Timeline Project is because it is incredibly visual. Each verbal goal is placed against a scenic background to create a tile. When you are done your tiles are combined into a scrolling vision board. If you’ve followed our site for a bit, you’ll know I’m a fan of vision boards. The last two reasons I like The Timeline Project are because it is digital and shareable. While hand scribbling your goals into a notebook is a fine start, the problem is that there is little chance you’ll actually go back and review those goals with any sort of regularity. This platform allows you to create something you can refer to anytime you jump online and that you can also share with your friends on Twitter and Facebook. What better way to hold yourself accountable to your goals than publicly by announcing them?

If you are ready to give it a try here are a few tips I’d recommend before you get started.

Get Inspired:

I always find that my vision for myself grows bigger after I’ve been exposed to the amazing accomplishments of others that I identify with. Starting your own business, becoming a famous musician, or opening your own fitness studio might all seem like lofty aspirations. However, when you see someone who isn’t so different from yourself accomplishing these things they begin to feel more tangible. Besides our site, I like to turn to The EveryGirl, Forbes Woman, and Refinery 29 for interviews with women worth looking up to.

Meditate: 

I recently took up meditation and I can’t say enough about its benefits (soon to be a future post I’m certain). Meditation in its simplest form is a tool to help you grow more mindful and aware. Though it is important to think about what you want out of the future, it’s equally critical to consider what you want out of the present moment. Take some time for quiet self-reflection and contemplation to sort these things out.

Break it Down: 

This is called the Timeline Project for a reason–not everything needs to be accomplished tomorrow. In life it’s good to be flexible with your priorities and to adapt them over time. As you think about your goals for now and tomorrow consider how they align with your priorities. I was once taught the 5 roles principle and it is something that I truly believe in. We can have it all but we can’t necessarily have it all right now. Make time to strive for success in the areas that are of most importance to you at different stages of life.

Whether you choose to use The Timeline Project or another tool, the point remains the same–it’s important to put your goals in front of you. If you decide this is the tool for you however, we’d love to see what timelines you create. Please share them with us by tweeting us @SingleDiariesXO.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about The Timeline Project. Comment below to let us know what you think!

Superbly Single,

Jen