Happy New Year! It’s that time of year again – people plan out their resolutions and goals for the next year. We have great dreams of achieving new year’s goals and changing our life. But did you know that about two-thirds of people have given up on their new year resolutions by the end of January? And that less than 10% of people feel like they achieved their goals by the end of the year? There are several reasons for this:
- unrealistic goals
- too many goals
- vague goals with little to no actionable steps
- forgotten goals once holidays are over
I’m sure you have heard of the SMART goal system – goals must be:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
Be specific about what you want to achieve. An example from my own goals for this year is my goal to improve my Spanish. Now, simply saying, “I want to improve my Spanish” is too broad and way too vague. Instead, I chose “Learn to conjugate verbs in the present tense”. This tells anyone who reads my goal list exactly what I want to learn this year.
Of course, your goals also need to be relevant to you, your interests and your life. They should also be achievable – don’t write down that you want to get up at 4.00am to workout if you don’t ever get to bed before midnight! The last point is often already part of the planning. We are making goals for this year so the year’s end is our time boundary. But as you will see, sometimes we need to create some other timeframes for our goals.
M is for Measurable
You may have noticed I briefly mentioned all the other points but skipped this one. Goals tend to fall into two categories – those that can be easily measured and those that are a little harder to quantify. If we can’t measure our progress, it is easy to feel we haven’t achieved anything or get discouraged by our “lack of progress”. Let’s take a look at some examples and tips of easily measured goals. Some examples include:
- Save $5,000 for a holiday
- Renovate the kitchen
- Read 10 non-fiction books
- Spend 10 minutes a day practicing French
By the end of the year, you can see whether you achieved things without too much trouble. You can also see your progress through the year – maybe you’ve saved $2,000 by Easter or got a 140 day streak practicing on Duolingo 20 weeks into the year. But despite being easily measured, these goals can seem overwhelming. Let’s look at some tips to break them down.
4 Tips for Achieving Easily Measurable New Year’s Goals
It doesn’t have to be 4. But you will see why I chose this number:
Breaking your large goal into four smaller ones gives you three months to achieve each one. Let’s say you want a plan to achieve you new year’s goal of saving $5,000. By breaking it up, you can see you need to save $1,250 each quarter. Or perhaps for your kitchen renovation you save and plan for two quarters, make arrangements for one quarter and get the work done in the last quarter.
Now you know you need to save $1,250 by the end of March. But how are you going to do that? Work extra shifts? Cut down on spending on dining out? Sell items on Marketplace? Which 2-3 books are you going to choose for your non-fiction reading goal? How are you going to practice your French?
Planning is all well and good but now it’s time for action! Buy those books you chose; download that language app; create a Pinterest board for your kitchen ideas and start saving! Soon, you will feel like you are one of the ones that ARE achieving their new year’s goals!
3 Tips for Achieving Harder to Measure New Year’s Goals
First, what are some examples of goals that are not so simple to quantify?
- Conquer my fear of public speaking
- Dress more elegantly
- Improve my sitting posture
These goals are not so easy to measure. But we can still track our progress – it just won’t look the same as watching $1,250 accumulate dollar by dollar.
In the first place, we need to become aware of our problem and the solution. Let’s take our three examples above. You may have to present regularly for your job or maybe you teach a class at your local homeschool co-op. You acknowledge you are terrified of public speaking. So you read a book on reducing your fear and write down ways you can improve. You are aware of your fear so you take steps to change it.
Or you feel like your every day dress habits have become lazy over the last few years . Next, you sort your wardrobe and realize you don’t have much that suits your personality, that fits you well (thanks pandemic pounds) and that makes you feel beautiful. You are now aware of the problem and can make a plan to change it (I have an article here if you need some help).
Maybe you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk for work or at the table for homeschooling. You notice you tend to get a sore back from slouching. Now you can work on what you have noticed – click here if you need some ideas.
Secondly, we practice! Now you are aware of your fear of public speaking, your lack of knowledge in putting together outfits or your poor sitting posture. You learnt how to conquer your fear, how to find new clothing pieces and how to wear them and how to sit to avoid a sore back. Now, every time you have to present, get dressed or sit, you have an opportunity to practice. By practicing, you begin to create a habit.
Thirdly, check in and see how you are going. Once a month/quarter/term, ask yourself a few questions. Is it starting to become more of a habit to sit straight? Is your back less sore by the end of the day? If it is, well done and keep it up! How do you feel when you teach your class? Are there more days you feel more beautiful in your outfit? Keep up the good work and be willing to try a new strategy if you need to.
I hope these tips have given you some confidence to achieve your new year’s goals this year! How will you apply them to your own goals?
