Amy Lindgren

Hey, it’s nearly Independence Day: How’s it going with your New Year’s resolutions?

Talk about a non sequitur. Probably the last thing on your mind is that list of goals you made in the depth of winter, when the sky would always grow dark before you even started dinner.

Of course, that’s exactly the reason to think about those resolutions now, even while you’re planning beach trips and barbecues. The less front-of-mind your goals are, the more important it is to revive them.

So now for the fun stuff: Moving ahead in life and enjoying the independence that gives you. And there we have the connection to Independence Day. When we reach our goals, we gain freedom from whatever it is holding us back.

Not only that, but the Fourth of July holiday happens to fall almost exactly midway through the year, making it an excellent time for a check-in.

Ready? Here are five steps for ensuring you’re on track (or for getting yourself back on track, if not):

1. Find your list of goals from January: This first step could be the hardest, depending on your level of organization. But once you’ve found the list, you can move on to Step 2.

2. Check your progress: Were there multi-step goals that need several stages to complete? If yes, it’s time to check where you are in that series of steps. For example, if the goal was to finish that last semester of college that you’ve been putting off, you know the steps are going to include things like meeting with an admissions counselor and getting a copy of your old transcript. So, did you?

3. Toss out the lame-duck goals: If any of your goals were tied to something you’re no longer involved in, or don’t care about anymore, it’s time to cross them off the list. For example, if you wanted to join a certain committee at work but actually changed jobs instead, that goal is obviously not needed anymore.

Along the same lines, you can also eliminate goals connected to things you’re no longer interested in, such as specific hobbies. Pruning your list at mid-year is a good way to create space for the goals that really matter to you.

4. Triage the remaining goals: Suppose you now have 10 goals on your list, after crossing off three or four. Which of these is the most important to you? The second-most important? Rank the remaining goals and then re-arrange them in order with the most important first.

Okay, deep breath. Now cut the bottom half of the list. In the example where you had 10 goals after the initial pruning, you will now have five after tossing the bottom half of the list. These are the goals you’re committing to for the remainder of the year, with the other five going to the side for the moment.

If that feels radical, consider that it’s better to complete five goals than to not complete 10. In other words, you get points for completion, not for having a long list.

5. Schedule the required steps on your calendar: This is where things get real. Using the example of going back to school, now you must list the steps that goal would require. For example, in addition to meeting with an admissions counselor and ordering your transcript, you’ll also need to explore ways to pay for tuition and perhaps talk with your boss about changing your schedule to accommodate classes.

Whatever your goals, the assignment is the same: Identify the necessary steps, then assign each one to a specific day on the calendar. When you do this, the steps become commitments rather than a vague idea of something you have to get around to, which helps ensure you actually move forward in the process — and in your life.

Building the momentum

Not everyone is a natural goal-setter — perhaps most people aren’t, in fact. That’s the reason that simple processes like this can be so important. They help you gain momentum while keeping the project as low-key as possible.

But what if you didn’t make any New Year’s resolutions last January? That’s easy: Do it now instead. These can become half-year goals, or you can shift your concept of “new year” to be July 1-June 30, the way some government agencies do.

As long as you’re moving forward to achieve your dreams and goals, you’ll be on track this Independence Day. It’s your chance to take control in your life and celebrate that freedom.

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Amy Lindgren owns a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com.