The Simple Goal Setting Method that Will Rock Your New Year!
I don’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions, however, I do accept that many people like the idea of them, and plan to make some this January. Instead of resolutions, I like to call it “New Year’s Goal Setting”. It sounds more official that way, and it should, because this is serious stuff! Any time you make a goal, you should consider it a serious, and important goal. If it’s not serious or important, don’t bother with it! Check out my favorite simple goal setting method, and leave me a comment about the goals you are making for this year!
First, Create Your Goals.
Using the S.M.A.R.T acronym for goal setting, create no more than 6 goals for the new year. I like to goal set in 6 month periods – because 12 months is just too far away for me, but use whatever timeframe works for you. S.M.A.R.T stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. This is a well known method and it really works! If your goals can’t meet all of these requirements, they aren’t good enough. Tweak them until they are.
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Next, Define Steps.
Each of your goals can be broken down into the specific tasks that need to be completed in order to reach them. List them, and be as specific as possible! For example, let’s say your goal is “Lose 10 lbs by April 1st”. Your steps could be, “Exercise 4 times per week” and “Join Weight Watchers in January”. Steps like “Eat less, move more” are not helpful because they aren’t specific enough. Really dig down and try to understand exactly what you need to do in order to reach your goal. If you don’t know, then you need to do research until you do know.
I like to keep my goals in a notebook. My Goals notebook is always on my desk, and I can refer to it as often as I need to. As I complete steps or goals I cross them off, and if something changes, I add it in. Easy!
Finally, Get to Work!
A goal is just a sentence on a piece of paper if you don’t actually work for it. You need to find DRIVE and MOTIVATION to move you forward. If you don’t have those things inside of you quite yet, find a partner, a friend, or a social media group that will help you.
