Been procrastinating on setting your New Year’s Resolutions?  Not to worry –  our list of tips and tricks for setting achievable resolutions will have you ready for 2021 in no time!

We’ve all set a New Year’s Resolution that we couldn’t keep at one point or another.  And, chances are the resolution failed based on one of the following premises:

1. The resolution was created to appease someone else (or society in general)
2. The resolution wasn’t specific enough
3. We didn’t have a plan in place for how we would achieve the resolution

Alright, alright, we get why our past resolutions didn’t work out, but how do we go about making ones that we’ll actually be able to achieve?

Actually, it’s simple!  Just plan S.M.A.R.T.

Specific. Rather than saying, “I want to exercise more,” state how much more you want to exercise and at what time interval.  For example, “I want to exercise for 30 minutes per day, 5 days a week” would be a much more effective resolution than the former.

Measurable. You may feel very motivated to achieve your goals at the start of the year but at some point, your motivation may start to dwindle, which is why it’s important to have a record of all of the progress you’ve made so far.  Being able to look back at photos or notes of where we started is great motivation to keep pushing us towards are end goal.

Achievable. When setting your goals, be realistic with yourself.  It’s easy to give up on goals that seem impossible.  Think about where you are and where you want to be and break that down into smaller steps so that you can get there.

Relevant. This is where you should be thinking about why you are trying to achieve your goal.  If you set a goal because someone else wants you to, chances are you won’t be motivated to achieve it.  You also never want to set a goal out of self-hate or remorse.  Goals are all about self-improvement, but you have to love where you’re at from the start.

Time-bound. The timeline for your goals needs to be practical.  New Year’s Resolutions generally mean that the goal will be achieved by the end of the year, but you can certainly break your goal into smaller chunks of time as a motivation boost.  For example, if 20 pounds of weight loss is your ultimate goal, perhaps this could be broken down into 5 pounds a quarter.

Adapted from: https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smarterliving/resolution-ideas