Jasmine Douglas, Founder of Babes on Waves, a skill-building community and network for Black women and women of colour entrepreneurs, is tearing up the rule book on goal setting, allowing women the space to set goals that benefit their wellbeing, professional lives, and other duties.

In a workshop called ‘Mindful Goal setting: creating a holistic 12-week plan for your goals’ at the recent Women in IT UK Summit she said: “When we think of goal setting a lot of time, we think of Silicon Valley.” By Silicon Valley-style goal setting, Douglas means the fast-paced and traditionally masculine “tech bros” culture, which is about rapid results.

Douglas, who sets her own holistic goals as a woman business owner, wants women to think about the goals, both personal and professional, that really matter to them: “I’m about trying to make space in my life for the things that work for me and not what I think I should be doing.”

Could holistic goal setting be the way for women entrepreneurs, including mothers with mounting responsibilities, to self-improve while maintaining their work/life balance? Addressing a room full of women entrepreneurs and corporate leaders, Douglas’ top tips for holistic goal setting suggest yes. A snapshot can be found below ahead of her guide release in September 2022.

1. Set the goals timeline for 12 weeks – the shorter time allows you the opportunity to fully commit to your goals. You can see it as an experiment, and if in the end, you want to change the goals there’s no pressure.

2. When thinking of your goals – block out all distractions, connect to yourself and think if you could fast-forward a year, what would your life look like? This goes beyond career to life and family experiences.

3. Create a habit – this is also known as ‘automating goals.’ Creating habits is a way to automate your goals. The first 12 weeks of goal setting are more about making these goals habits and creating a routine rather than reaching them.

4. Keep up motivation – if you know how you’re going to measure your goals and can tie them back to why you’ve chosen them, this will keep you going when your motivation runs low. Remember to go back to your ‘why’ statement.

Jasmine spoke at the recent Women in IT UK Summit. To find out more about the ‘Women In’ Summit & Awards Series, click here.