Setting goals for the New Year is always a tradition. You look at your life, decide what you want to work on in the new year and then come February you are find yourself back in your old habits. Nothing ends up changing and maybe you are wondering if you should even make resolutions this year.
Well I have some tips for you as you plan for setting goals for 2018. I think you should set goals for yourself. What do you want to accomplish this year? Where do you want to be at the end of 2018? Hopefully this suggestions will set you up for success and help you reach those personal goals!
Writing Goals for 2018
- Write down your goals.
- May sound so simple, but posting your goals and looking at them frequently will help keep you focused on what you want to accomplish.
- Some people make “vision boards” and what I love about these is that it shows pictures of your goals. Either write down your goals or create a vision board with what you want to accomplish and post this in a post where you will see it on a routine basis.
- Set SMART goals.
- Specific - Avoid anything too broad. Write your goal to clearly state your goal. “I want to increase the number of days a week that I exercise.”
- Measurable - After you decide on your specific goal, you need a time frame associated with that goal. “I want to go to the gym 3 days during the work week.”
- Attainable – Whatever goal you set for yourself, make it something realistic. If exercising 3 days during the week isn’t possible, adjust that goal and set it at 2 days a week. Start with something realistic that you know you can accomplish.
- Relevant – Make this goal for yourself that is something you really want to accomplish. If a goal about fitness isn’t really important for you, then set your New Year’s Resolutions around things that you feel passionate about.
- Time-based – Give yourself time limits for your goals. “I want to go to the gym 3 days during the week for the next month.” That way at the end of the month you can evaluate if you met your goal or not. If not, then change around your goal and try again.
- Hold yourself accountable.
- In this say of social media, it is totally possible to post about your goals and that can serve as a way to help hold you accountable.
- Have a support group that can follow up with you and help keep you on track. Going to the gym with a friend or planning on running a race with a friend can help keep you focused on your goals.
- List out your obstacles/challenges.
- Just like you write out your goals with what you want to accomplish, write out what challenges you might face.
- If you know what might keep you from accomplishing your goals that will help you in successfully meeting your goals.
- Plan a time to re-evaluate.
- Lots of times people make goals in January and totally forget about them in February. Put a reminder in your phone/calendar to look back through your goals and see if you accomplished.
- Take this time in February to revamp your goals to help set yourself up to be successful going into the rest of the year.
- Plan to check back in each month to see how you are doing and if you are meeting those goals you set for yourself.