Tips for setting goals and achieving them in the new year
New Year New Me
New Year’s is a time when many people reflect on their habits and try to make changes in their lives for the coming year. While many people create resolutions and goals, few actually end up succeeding. The reason is due to the way people set goals. Trying to set goals for an entire year in one day can be challenging as life and situations can change quickly. You are far more likely to be successful if you set a specific goal and create a plan to make small steps toward it. Achievements do not happen overnight. In this day and age, it is common to want instant gratification and many people could get discouraged if they aren’t seeing progress towards their goal as quickly as they would like. That is why it is so important to have a plan and to be more realistic with your goal’s time frame. Remember that you are still the same you, just you with some different habits.
Tips for Setting Goals:
An effortless way to set goals is to use the acronym SMART. Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant to your life, and Time-bound. Setting goals with these attributes can give you higher chances for success. Let us look at some examples:
Not a SMART goal: I want to eat healthier.
SMART goal: I will eat healthier by increasing vegetable consumption to half of my plate, 3 times a week within the next month
Specific
While it can be tempting to set a broad goal, specific goals will be easier to achieve. Here, include the WHAT and WHO of your goal. In this example, you will see the “I” as the WHO, and “eating healthier” as the WHAT. Making sure goals are measurable is especially important, in this way, you can truly assess if you are on target. In this example, we are measuring how much the increase of vegetables: 1/2 plate, and how often: 3 times a week
Measurable
Making sure goals are measurable is very important, in this way, you can truly assess if you are on target. In this example, we are measuring how much the increase of vegetables: 1/2 plate, and how often: 3 times a week
Attainable
Make the goal attainable by giving yourself flexibility and starting small. When it comes to eating vegetables, you want to increase the frequency slowly. In this example, we are starting 3 times a week instead of every day because, on a daily basis, it would feel too demanding to complete in the long run.
Relevant
Your goal should be relevant to your life and desires. If you feel as though you could eat more vegetables, then a goal about increasing consumption is a good goal to have.
Time-Bound
Setting a goal with a time frame makes it easier for you to assess progress and complete it. With our example of eating vegetables within the next month, you can gauge how you are doing and if this goal can become a lifestyle change!
