How to Create Achievable New Year’s Resolutions
I’m one of those people who loves the New Year. I particularly like this idea of creating plans and especially renewing the energies for the new year and trying to be a better person. The New Year is the best time to reset and start again fresh and hopefully better.
It can feel like a fresh start, and it can be an amazing time to reflect on your life, create a plan to be better, and establish new routines that will help you to grow professionally and personally.
I have a ritual where I light a candle, put on some music and let it flow while I think about everything I want to accomplish in the next year. I’m going to share some strategies and mindsets that help me in making my plan for the new year!
▪️ Set SMART goals.
When you’re deciding your goals, it’s crucial to write them down in a way that communicates the why’s. It’s difficult I know, but taking this extra effort will force you to think more about your goals, how you’ll prioritize and create really powerful, meaningful, and achievable goals. You can use the SMART framework:
- Specific: Clearly defined and specific enough to take action.
- Measurable: Identify the exact amount of effort you need to make to reach your goal.
- Achievable: Set realistic goals. Don’t try to bite off more than you can chew.
- Relevant: Relevant to your lifestyle and skill set.
- Time-bound: Define realistic timeframes.
Timing is something that will give you a sense of urgency to create action and can help you prioritize what is important to you. And if you don’t have the skills needed yet, maybe the first goal should be getting them.
▪️ Limit your goals.
I know it’s exciting to think about the new year ahead, and we want to accomplish so many amazing things, but we also should consider limiting our goals. Think about limiting your goals by quarter because it helps to have a better sense of how much you should accomplish per quarter. When you’re planning, you can break the goals into smaller chunks to be developed in periods of three months or even one month if you’d like.
▪️ Don’t multitask.
It might be difficult not to focus on multiple goals, but it’s necessary to tackle only one at the time. Don’t complicate things, and keep in mind you can’t change everything all at once. If you try to do that you won’t change anything.
▪️ Re-frame your goals.
Reframe your goals, and after that clarify them. When you clarify your goals it is so much easier to understand what you need to do and to create a plan for achieving them. Think about small tasks that are going to help you to achieve your overall goal while you measure the progress along the way and review what you need to do as well.
▪️ Start with small steps.
Instead of focusing on the final stage, think more about the process. Take small steps, and make sure to continue to do what you should do every day. The consistency is what is going to help you to succeed. And remember that taking on too much may prevent you from accomplishing any goal.
▪️ Review your goals.
I cannot overemphasize how crucial it is to review your goals regularly. Create a system that will help you to review your quarterly and/or monthly goals. I like to write my goals in my bullet journal, and l review them everyday while I journal. It’s a good practice that helps me to stay focused.
▪️ Receive Support.
Your support network can be a game changer. When I say support network I’m referring to family, friends, colleagues, online help via social channels, and also books and courses. Choose carefully those people and resources around you, and don’t forget to ask how they can help you when needed.
▪️ Don’t give up!
“What separates the elite performers from everyone else? Not perfection, but consistency. This is why the most important thing is not to prevent mistakes altogether, but to avoid making a mistake twice in a row. Errors are part of the process, but they shouldn’t become part of the pattern.” — James Clear.
▪️ Have retrospectives.
The difference between the review and the retrospective is that during the retrospective you’re going to review your goals, check if you’re on track or not, and reflect on your process on a daily basis. This is also the time to make any adjustments such as redefining or deleting goals that become obsolete. You’ll define the periodicity, it can be weekly or monthly for example. The purpose of this exercise is to make sure you’re on track and spending your energy on the right direction.
▪️ It’s ok to fail.
We need to learn to be kind to ourselves and push only we really need to. The process and the learnings are what’s most important. Things can run off the rails, and it’s essential to understand why you’re slipping and how you can fix things. Try to look for the behavior that is causing you to fail, and only after that think about ways to fix it.
▪️ Commit to your process and goal.
We should choose our goals wisely, and then commit to the goals. In the majority of cases, what helps you to succeed is when you also commit to the process, the journey, and find a way to transform them into something fun and enjoyable.
▪️ Celebrate your achievements.
Celebrating your achievements can be your favorite part of making changes in the new year, and you can celebrate them in different ways. Make sure you’re sticking to your plan and goals. If you’re happy with the progress you’re making, you should definitely celebrate. Don’t forget to also have fun while working to achieve your goals!
I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Don’t forget to share your strategies with me too!
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