⌛️ How to Deal with Expired Goals

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This week: Did you know some goals have an expiration date? With a few months into the year, let’s explore how to know when a goal has expired and what to do instead!

⌛️ 3 Signs a Goal Has Expired

Not all goals are forever.

Throughout your life, you’ll have to let go of some of your goals — and that’s okay.

Holding onto an expired goal for too long can lead to wasted energy and unnecessary shame.

But how do you know if the time for a goal has passed? Here are 3 signs:

1. 🫤 It no longer excites you and it doesn’t serve your long-term plans

Your excitement for any goal will likely drop over time. For goals that no longer excite you, ask yourself if they still fit in with your overall life vision. If the answer is “no”, it’s okay to let it go.

2. 🗣️ It came from someone else’s vision or expectations

Do you truly want to achieve this goal for your own fulfillment? Or are you pursuing it because someone else wants you to? (Peep our Flocus Picks section below for tips on overcoming peer pressure.)

3. 💸 You’re only pursuing it out of guilt or sunk cost

It can be hard to let go of a goal you’ve spent a lot of time, energy, or money on. But the sooner you break free, the more time you’ll reclaim to spend on the goals that truly matter to you.

Okay, so you’ve figured out that one (or maybe more) of your goals has expired — what next? Read on to find out!

🥅 What to Do Instead

Now that you’ve identified your expired goals, here’s how to manage them!

✨ Replace it with something more aligned or current

You might be able to tweak your goal a bit instead of throwing it out entirely. Here are a few ideas:

• 🛑 Identify blockers. Before releasing a goal entirely, check to see what’s stopping you from completing it. Obstacles outside your control can be much harder to overcome, which can make it easier to let go.

• 🤏 Make it smaller. If the goal feels too big or unreachable in its current form, break it down into smaller milestones.

• 🫸 Shift the goal to something different, but related. For example, instead of “publish my novel”, try “post my writing on social 2 times a week”. This still hits your general goal of sharing your writing, without putting as much pressure on you to finish a huge project.

🖼️ Reframe it

Instead of seeing it as “giving up” on your goals, try calling it “editing your priorities”. This small adjustment can ease emotions like shame, guilt, and failure!

📋 Audit your goals each season

A seasonal review of your goals lets you catch expired goals quicker, which can reduce sunk cost. It also gives you more clarity on your progress, which can boost your motivation and keep you on track.

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🪅 Flocus Picks

A curated list of things worth sharing.

• How Peer Pressure Affects People of All Ages (Article) — If you’re letting go of a goal that you didn’t create for yourself, check out this article from VeryWell for tips on overcoming peer pressure

• Goal Setting Toolkit (Video) — The beloved Mel Robbins walks through how to set the right goals for you!

• elle woods inspirational playlist (Playlist) — This girl-power playlist includes 400+ pop hits, including some scores from the original Legally Blonde soundtrack — perfect for a goal auditing sesh!

✨ Flocus: Your Personal Productivity Dashboard

Your goals will evolve, and your workspace should support that. Flocus helps you stay organized, flexible, and focused with customizable task lists, inspiring themes, and ambient worlds to keep your progress feeling calm and rewarding.

Go to Flocus

Just because a goal has “expired” doesn’t mean you need to toss it out completely — there’s always something you can do to realign yourself on your preferred path.

Tell us about your goals! Have you ever encountered a goal that expired? How did you handle it? We love reading your replies!

Until next Sunday,

Flocus Team