Have you thought about your New Year’s resolutions?
If you’ve ever set a goal in January, and then found yourself struggling to keep up by February… You need to read this blog!!
A 2019 study by fitness company Strava found that most resolutions are abandoned by January 19.
Don’t let yours end up the same way.
Take a moment to run through this goals exercise, and you’ll have a SOLID plan for actually making them happen!
STEP 1: Think of an area in your life that you want to improve.
Example: “I want to get better at eating healthy foods.”
STEP 2: Reflect on WHY you want to improve.
Ex: “I want to get better at eating healthy foods, so I can improve my health and maintain a healthy weight.”
Now, here’s the difference between a resolution that’s destined to fail, and a goal that you can achieve— a goal is SMART!
Let’s turn your resolution into a SMART goal.
STEP 3: Check— is this goal Specific?
Don’t generalize— drill down to a specific action or end result you can achieve.
Ex: “I want to eat healthy meals for dinner more nights.”
STEP 4: Check— is this goal Measurable?
Make sure you can easily keep track & measure when you have succeeded.
Ex: “I want to eat healthy meals for dinner 4 nights a week.”
STEP 5: Check— is this goal Attainable?
Do you have the means to make it happen? How?
Ex: “I want to eat healthy meals for dinner 4 nights a week by implementing a meal planning session on Sundays.”
STEP 6: Check— is this goal Timely?
Give yourself a “due date” or set a specific time period you’ll be working on it
Ex: “I want to eat healthy meals for dinner 4 nights a week for three months.”
STEP 7: Write it down somewhere relevant,
where you’ll see it every day. This is the big one!
Ex: Since this goal is about meal planning, I might hang a note on the fridge, where I’d see it every time I come into the kitchen, or set a reminder that pops up on my phone every Sunday.
STEP 8: Add some accountability!
Tell a friend, family member, spouse, neighbor, coworker… Someone who can nudge you occasionally about your goal, and maybe help you work on it. You can encourage them to share a goal with you, too.
Ex: “Hey, [friend’s name]— I set a goal to eat healthy meals for dinner 4 nights a week until March. Will you help me reach it by asking me what I’m eating for dinner whenever you see me?”
STEP 9: Share your goal in the comments!
Let’s inspire each other, swap ideas, get some feedback, and hold each other accountable!
