As the clock strikes midnight and the current year comes to an end, many people like to start the year on the right foot by setting New Year’s resolutions. However, most people do not keep up with their resolutions. According to Forbes Health Survey findings, out of the people surveyed, 65.2% of people quit their resolutions within the first four months. If you’re someone who doesn’t want to fall into the majority this 2024 or someone who has failed to keep their resolutions in the past, there are plenty of tips you can follow to make sure your year is on the right track.
One of the most important ways you can keep up with your resolutions is to change the way you set your goals. One of the most popular goal-setting formats is “SMART goals”, with each letter representing a step in the process. By following the SMART guidelines, you can set the best resolutions for an even better year.
The first step in SMART goals is “Specific”. What is your goal? What is it that you want to have accomplished? If you want to set a goal such as “Read more books”, goals like these are too vague. When you set goals that aren’t specific enough it can seem like a large, daunting task. What do you consider to be more books? Adjusting your goal to something more specific such as, “Reading 200 books” allows you to be more in control of what specifically you want to achieve.
The second part of SMART goals is “Measurable”. While working towards your goal, how will you measure your progress? One of the best ways to meet your resolutions is by measuring your progress. Let’s say you’re trying to read 200 books. By using the “Measurable” step, a good way to measure your progress is setting how many books you need to read each week to reach your goal.
Arguably the most important part, of “Achievable” is making sure that you can actually reach your goal. Is this a goal that I can achieve within the year? Is this a realistic goal that I can set for myself given my current environment? Is this a goal I can see myself completing? If your goal doesn’t fit into these questions, then you’ll likely feel less compelled to meet your goal. If reading 200 books is something that, given the time and effort, can be done, go for it!
The next step to SMART goals is “Relevant”. Is this a goal that matters to you? Is this something that you care about? Is this resolution something that you want to see, and not what other people expect from you? If your resolution isn’t relevant to you, then you might find it harder to motivate yourself. For someone who is a massive bookworm, reading 200 books is something that’s right up their alley. If you’re not a big reader, however, don’t sweat it! Along with achievability, relevance is important to setting resolutions that you can actually accomplish. Finding the motivation to work on your goals is key!
The final step to SMART goals is “Time-bound”. What is your deadline for your resolution? Is this something you can keep up in a month? Six months? Is this something you want to keep up throughout the year? Setting a deadline to work by can help you stay focused on what needs to be done. If you’re a bookworm who wants to take on 200 books, specifying your resolution to “Reading 200 books in six months” or “Reading 200 books in a year” can help you further narrow down when you want to reach your resolution.
Along with time-bound goals, another important part of setting good resolutions is both short-term and long-term goals. What do you want to see within a week? Setting short-term goals can help you climb up the pyramid of success one step at a time, rather than trying to scale everything all at once. Long-term goals, however, are just as important. Having many short-term goals without any end goal can make it difficult to understand what you’re working towards.
With dozens of ways you can power up your New Year’s resolutions, now is the perfect time to decide on next year’s goals. Setting resolutions is more than just writing a list— it’s creating the foundations for becoming the best possible version of yourself in the new year. With the final days of the semester approaching and the new year on the horizon, here’s to a fulfilling and motivating 2024!
