The year 2020 is drawing to an end; finally! I’m not usually one to angrily show a year the door but I’ll gladly make an exception for this one. Since this year hasn’t been anywhere close to what we expected going into it, I think I’m not alone in feeling ready for a fresh start with a brighter outlook. With vaccination programmes slowly starting up around the world, the end of the pandemic seems to be in sight (fingers crossed) and we can start planning for the future with a bit more certainty again.
Setting goals for the new year is one of my favourite things to do in late December/early January. I thrive on that “new beginning buzz” that comes with a fresh calendar and get really excited thinking about all the possibilities a new year brings. In this post I’d like to share my top goal setting tips for this year; how to set goals and resulutions you will actually stick to and achieve.
Make It Specific
The number one reason why people don’t achieve their goals, is that they don’t make them specific enough; they don’t make them achieveable in the first place. In order to be able to complete a goal, you need to establish when you consider the goal achieved.
Let’s say you’d like to get healthier next year. To “get healthier” sounds like a logical goal, but what does it really mean? What does getting healthier look like for you, and how do you intend to get there? Make the goal more specific by breaking it up into: “work out at the gym for two hours a week”, “eat home cooked meals five nights of the week” and “go to bed at 10 on weekdays”.
| Instead of | Go for |
|---|---|
| Get healthier | Go for a 2km run twice weekly |
| Eat 200g of vegetables with every dinner | |
| Sleep 8 hours every day | |
| Save money | Set aside 10% of each paycheck |
| Bring homecooked lunches to work 3 days a week |
Break It Up
If there’s any larger goal that requires multiple actions, be sure to break it up and write all the separate actions down. Big goals may be daunting, but once you get everything that needs to be done down on paper, achieving your goal becomes simply a matter of going through the motions. For example, if your goal is to buy a house next year, break it up into:
- speak to mortgage advisor & set budget
- set up savings plan for deposit
- make list of wishes & requirements for the house
- assess market
- visit at least three open houses
This way you know exactly what you need to do in order to achieve the overarching goal, and its much easier to take specific action.
Schedule It In
Once you know what steps you need to take in order to achieve your goal, the next step is to make time for them. Take your calendar and block out specific days and times when you’re going to work on your goal. If your goal is to go to the gym twice a week, pick two days that work in your current schedule or shuffle things around to make that time, and then write it down. Even better if you can make this a recurring task that auto-schedules itself into your digital calendar weekly. If you’re looking to buy that house, set aside some time once a week or once a month to tick off one of the points on your goal to-do list. Physically schedule that time in your calendar. Then, all you need to do is to actually stick to your schedule and do the thing when you’ve planned it.
Don’t be afraid to plan ahead by the whole year! If, once you get closer to the date, the time you planned no longer works, you’ll still be reminded of having to do that task soon and you can then re-schedule it to a better time. Just be sure not to drop the task completely.
Beware Of Daily Goals
It’s tempting to tell yourself you’re going to take a 30 minute walk every day from now on, do a skincare routine every night, vacuum daily, and journal before bed. However, if you don’t do those things already, trying to suddenly do them every day all at once results in a lifestyle shift that’s way too big to keep up. Daily goals are hard to implement and hard to stick to because they require a lot of dedication and often a larger time sacrifice than anticipated.
To give yourself a better chance of sticking to a daily goal or resolution, implement only one at a time. It takes a couple of weeks for a new routine to become a habit, and for it to start feeling natural in your life. Once you’ve completely integrated one new habit, you can add the next.
If you are going to implement a daily goal, I highly suggest habit stacking. This means sticking the new habit onto something you already do; take that 30 minute walk on your lunch break, do your skincare routine right after brushing your teeth, or eat that extra piece of fruit with your breakfast. That way something you already do triggers the new habit, and you’re less likely to forget about it.
Reflect On It
Give yourself a time period after which you’re going to reflect on your goal. After that period, ask yourself this question first: “is this something I still want?” If the answer is no, change the goal to better fit your current wants and needs. If the answer is yes, take inventory of where you are. Have you been able to achieve the goal or parts of it so far? What’s going well, and what’s holding you back? What needs to be done still, and is everything you need to do scheduled in? Make sure you’re on track and happy with where you’re headed.
Visualise It
Keeping your goals and resolutions somewhere you can see them is a huge help. It reminds you of the end goal, and helps keep it at the forefront of your mind.
Many people swear by making vision boards, which are a great visual representation of your goals and dreams. I personally like to keep a list of my goals and intentions pinned to the top of my Google Keep, so that I see them every day. You could stick a word web to your bathroom door, or make a collage to use as your computer background.
Whatever your preference is, make sure you’re visually reminded of the goals you set for yourself frequently.
Are you planning to set new year’s resolutions this year? I’d love to hear!
