How to Actually Achieve Your New Year’s Goals
It’s that time of year again where many of us set new goals and resolutions around our fitness and eating habits. Unfortunately, most people give up on their resolutions before January is even over. Thankfully, we can increase our odds of reaching our goals tremendously with some strategic planning. This post will teach you how to actually achieve your new year’s goals.
Part I. Setting Smart Goals
Why Most New Year’s Resolutions Fail
I’m going to be brutally honest. Most new year’s resolutions suck. “This year I want to eat better” is not nearly specific enough. There’s no how behind this goal. A goal without a plan is simply a wish.
Set Smart Goals Instead of Vague Resolutions
First, set your smart goals. Smart goals are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
Make Your Goals Specific
“I want to eat better” is too general. Instead, hone down on how you actually want to change your eating habits.
“I will eat more vegetables” starts to narrow it down a little bit.
Make Your Goals Measurable
We need to be able to measure if we are making progress toward our goal. Set a number around the goal – i.e. x times per week or x servings per day.
“I will eat vegetables twice per day” makes it measurable.
Make Your Goals Attainable
If our goals aren’t achievable, then what even is the point? Allow some wiggle room for the times when things don’t go to plan… and to let yourself have a life.
“I will eat vegetables twice per day at least 5 days per week” makes it more realistic.
Make Your Goals Relevant
Check in with yourself: is this a goal that will actually enhance your life? Or is this a goal because other people are doing it? Make sure the goals you set are actually meaningful for you.
Hypothetically, the vegetable goal makes no sense if you’re allergic to vegetables, right?
Make Your Goals Time-Bound
Set a reasonable time frame for when you think you can achieve your goal. We need an end date to be able to judge if we met our goal or not.
“I will eat vegetables twice per day at least 5 days per week in January” gives you a time frame.
How we turned our resolution into a smart goal
We took our goal from “I want to eat better” to “I will eat vegetables twice per day at least 5 days per week in January.” That’s a great improvement. But we’re not done yet.
Part II. Creating a Plan with Systems
Once you’ve set your smart goal, create a plan to actually implement the goal.
Make a Plan
This is arguably the most important step in the entire process. Schedule time in your calendar, set reminders on your phone, and plan ahead so you have a system to reach your goal.
In our example this could look like:
- Schedule 1 hour on Sundays to plan your meals for the week and get groceries
- Schedule 30 min each night to make a dinner and lunch for the next day with veggies
- Set reminders on your phone daily so you don’t forget your goal
Create systems that work with you and your schedule to achieve your goals.
Prepare for Obstacles
Think about what’s de-railed you from achieving goals in the past. Is it lack of time? Loss of motivation? Just plain forgetting about the goal?
Come up with a game plan for what you’ll do if things go wrong. This way, you’ll be a step ahead. For example, if you ran out of time to meal prep one day, what would you do? Take time to think of solutions to problems before they happen.
Evaluation
It’s important to track your progress to see what’s working and what you need to troubleshoot. Pick a recurring time frame to check in on your goals.
After your deadline is up, you can determine whether it’s a goal you met or not, and if you want to continue or re-evaluate.
Celebrate Your Wins
When you set your goal, come up with a way to reward yourself if you achieve your goal. When you get there, take a moment to congratulate yourself and celebrate your win.
If you didn’t achieve your goal this time, reflect on your progress and how you can move forward.
TL;DR
Setting vague resolutions will almost never work out in your favor. By taking some time to create smart goals and a plan for making your goals fit into your life, you’ll be way more likely to actually achieve your new year’s goals!
