How to Use Milestones to Reach Goals

Setting and reaching goals is a big challenge for many people - and it can be even more overwhelming with a learning and/or attention disability like ADHD. When you lose track of your progress and next steps, it can be tough to maintain the motivation to continue. However, you can help keep yourself or your child focused and on-task by setting, recognizing, and celebrating milestones. Milestones are like mini-goals within your larger goal, and they help you to notice and gain satisfaction consistently throughout your progress.

The first step to the successful use of milestones is to break your goal up into several equal “pieces.” For example, if you want to go from 10 spelling mistakes to 0 spelling mistakes, you might set milestones at 8, 5, and 2 mistakes. Breaking up the goal in this way allows the brain to release dopamine periodically as you work toward your goal, keeping you excited and motivated to work through to the end.

Next, make your goals and milestones visible. Try using a whiteboard, poster, or calendar as a way to easily track and remember your accomplishments. Seeing a streak of milestones checked off helps you to visualize how far you’ve come, and it helps build the motivation to “maintain the streak” and check off the next task.

Finally, take time to notice, reflect, and celebrate each milestone. It can be all too easy to spend each day with your nose to the grindstone, powering through from one task to the next, but celebration is key to maintaining focus and motivation. Talk through what it took to get you to this milestone, and share how good it feels to accomplish something you care about. You might also set up a reward system - which can come in the form of a treat, prize, or even something as simple as a big hug.

Meaningful goals can feel big and daunting - but breaking up goals into milestones helps those goals feel more attainable, exciting, and rewarding. Try celebrating the individual steps of your next project, and see how much more fun and rewarding your efforts can be!