4 Tips for Setting & Achieving New Year’s Resolutions
New year, who dis?
Not to toot my own horn or anything, but for the past two years I’ve actually kept my New Year’s resolutions. And now I’m here to tell you how I did it and give you a few tips along the way.
In 2016, I chose a goal that was extremely attainable, and had no real life changing effect except for the simple fact of I DID IT! For a delightfully scatterbrained person like myself starting, maintaining and finishing something is an accomplishment in itself.
Drumroll please… For all of 2016 I had a manicure at. all. times.
Yup, not life changing at all. Tip one:
Tip 1: Goals do not need to be an end-all-be-all life change, sometimes just starting something you can finish is the true reward.
In 2017, I decided to apply a different New Year’s resolution method. I set quarterly goals. The tighter deadlines, the tougher goals. Which leads into my next resolution success tip:
Tip 2: Deadlines! Set a deadline, so you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
With these shorter timelines, I was able to really challenge myself and step out my comfort zone with my 2017 goals, which were:
Q1: Spend no money except for on food, gas and alcohol
Q2: Clean eating
Q3: Run three days a week
Q4: Finally finish unpacking
You may notice something here; none of these goals have numbers attached to them. That’s right, we are coming up to tip number 3.
Tip 3: Focus on actions to reach a goal, not the measurable.
Doing this will create habits that you can then maintain, rather than scrambling to achieve some measurable you pulled out of thin air. My 2017 goals would look very different if I focused on the measurable:
Q1: Save $2,000
Q2: Loose 25 pounds
Q3: Run a 5k in under 30 minutes
Q4: Have 0 unpacked boxes
By a show of hands, which of these sets of goals sound more attainable? I can’t actually see you, but it’s probably a split audience. Which leads into my final tip:
Tip 4: You do you. There is no right or wrong way to set and achieve goals. Do what works for you.
Thanks for reading. May your 2018 be full of setting and achieving.
