Each year people begin to make New Year’s resolutions as January 1 approaches. Whether it’s going to the gym, eating healthier, making more time for friends and family, or learning a new skill, most people seem to forget about these in the following days, weeks, and months. Most resolutions are made with good intentions, but when little planning is done to help accomplish these resolutions, they obviously fail.
Personally, I do not make New Year’s “resolutions,” but I still love the fresh slate that comes with a new year. What resolutions are missing is an action step. This is why I set goals instead. For the year, I pick a few things I want to work on and set SMART goals.
SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. It’s important to start small with your goals. If you want to work out more but never go to the gym, make it your goal to go to the gym once a week. You can always add on to your goals, but starting small makes them more attainable. Still, what is realistic and attainable is different for everyone. Just make sure to be honest with yourself when setting goals and find a method that holds you accountable.
I have also found that it helps to set monthly goals in addition to yearly goals. They can also help you work towards your yearly goals or build new habits. Last year, I would look at my yearly goals at the beginning of each month when setting monthly goals. This helped me be reminded of them and see if there was anything specific related to my yearly goals that I wanted to work on each month. It can also be helpful to set reminders throughout the year to look back at your goals.
This year, I am trying something new with my monthly goals. I prefer monthly goals to yearly goals, so I decided to set three to five goals per month instead of just one like I had in the past. This also allows me to set goals in different aspects of my life instead of just one. I hope that setting more goals will help me continue to grow.
Another important part of goal setting is reflecting. At the end of the month or year, I look back on my goals and write down the steps I took to work towards that goal. I ask myself if I achieved that goal and if there is anything I still want to work on or that could’ve done better. This is my favorite part of setting goals because it allows me to see how much I’ve grown. Not every goal is achieved, but it helps you learn what’s realistic and see how far you’ve come from where you started.
I encourage you to try setting goals for 2022! Find a cute notebook and write goals that inspire you. If goal setting isn’t your thing, you can always write intentions for the year or make a pinterest board for what you want your 2022 to look like. Whatever your method may be, I hope you have a happy and successful year!