Delicious snacks and achieve your goals at the same time: Here's how it works

The most wonderful time of the year has arrived again. Here's how you can enjoy all the good things while still working toward your goals.

1. What are your goals?

In order to find a healthy balance between Christmas indulgence and achieving your goals, it is first and foremost important that you clearly visualize your goals.

To do this, answer the following 5 questions:

1. What exactly do you want to achieve right now?
2. Why do you want to achieve this goal?
3. How do you plan to achieve this goal?
4. What problems might arise on the way to your goal? (Try to identify the 5 biggest problem sources here)
5. How will you deal with these problems to still achieve your goal?

Once you've answered these five questions for yourself, you'll already know a lot more about your goals and what obstacles you might encounter. Be aware that there will always be obstacles on the way to your goal.

This is completely normal and an important part of the process. To ensure that every obstacle doesn't catch you off guard, you've already thought about how to deal with different obstacles.

The coolest thing about this exercise is that you unconsciously prepare yourself for obstacles that you haven't even thought of yet.

Because once you have learned to find solutions to possible problems, your brain will automatically react in the same way again and again and strive to find the solution.

2. What is really important to you?

Defining goals, obstacles, and solutions is a great first step toward establishing a roadmap. Yet, you may still find yourself repeatedly boycotting yourself.

To prevent this from happening, ask yourself what's truly important to you? Especially during the Christmas season? Are it certain snacks and dishes that you can't get at other times of the year? Is it mulled wine, punch, or perhaps just strolling through the Christmas market with friends and family?

Be aware of what's truly important to you. So important that you'd feel truly miserable if you had to go without it. Perhaps your goal is already one of them?

Now write down your three most important things and rate them from 1 to 10. 1 is unimportant and 10 is extremely important. If you haven't already, add your goal to this list and give it a rating as well.

3. What can you do without?

Besides the three things that are really important to you and that you should not do without under any circumstances, there will always be small distractions.

Now think of five things (snacks, activities, etc.) that you will definitely have to do again at some point, but that you can easily do without without feeling bad about it.

4. Take it easy

Almost there. You've identified your goals and created a plan. You've realized what's truly important to you and what you absolutely don't want to miss out on during the Christmas season.

But you've also thought about what you can live without without any problems. You now know exactly what you want, how to get there, and what obstacles you'll have to overcome.

Now the fun part begins. Treat yourself to the things you don't want to give up completely, in moderation, and give up the things that aren't really important to you.

And always remember, the journey to your goal should be fun, so don't be too hard on yourself if you indulge in more than you wanted one day.