New Year’s Goals, Not Resolutions
I love this time of year. It gives me time to reflect on the successes (and failures) of the past year while looking ahead to the new year. I always get this excited feeling, as if every new year signifies a new beginning. As many of us do, I like to sit down and make a list of things I want to change in the new year. However, up until a few years ago, I was pretty terrible at making these “resolutions” stick.
I figured out that while this list of “resolutions” is great at the beginning, it gives no details or steps on how to accomplish these changes we want to make. Sure, you may want to get in shape, save money, and spend more time with loved ones (all of which are some of the most popular resolutions), but without specific steps, these tend to fail in the first few months of the year.
Think SMARTer, Not Harder
Enter the Goal. S.M.A.R.T. goals to be exact, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. These criteria help you break down your goal and provide a framework to keep you on track so you can ultimately reach your goal. Here’s a break-down of what each part of this acronym means:
Get Specific
General goals tend to be too broad and overwhelming. Instead, narrow your focus by setting specific terms for your goal. For example, instead of saying “I want to get in shape”, you could set a goal to train for a 5K (and have the race picked out ahead of time). You are still working towards the goal of getting in shape, but now you have more specifics to motivate you.
Choose Measurable Criteria
How do you measure your progress towards your goal? Having specified criteria to measure can help you track your goal progress. For example, you could choose a specific number of books to read in a year, track the distance you run/bike for a distance goal, do a monthly weigh-in for a weight loss goal, etc.
Make Sure it’s Attainable
That old saying “the sky’s the limit” has a wonderful message, but probably shouldn’t come into play when you’re setting your goals. Goals should be challenging, but they also need to be realistically attainable. You are more likely to give up early if your goal is too far out of reach. For example, I would never make “run a marathon” one of my goals. I am not a runner, nor do I enjoy running when I do. However, running a 5K for a favorite cause is a goal I would be motivated to achieve.
Relevant to You
There are a lot of popular goals out there, but you want something personal and meaningful to you. When deciding on goals, ask yourself why this goal is important to you. For example, I want to increase my weekly amount of exercise because it improves my mental health and reduces my risk of having another lupus flare-up.
Set Time-Bound Conditions
If you’re like me, you work better with deadlines. Setting a particular timeframe to achieve your goal keeps you motivated and prevents boredom along the way. I have found it helpful to break down a long goal into shorter goals. For example, if we are working on getting 1000 hours of outdoor time in a year, I will break it down by month. This allows me to focus on the short term rather than get overwhelmed by the long-term goal. It also allows me to set a higher hour goal for the summer months and a lower hour goal for the frigid months.
When you are setting your goals for the year, consider including both personal and family goals. Having something specific to work towards as a family can make for some excellent bonding time and lasting memories. It also teaches your kiddos how to work hard towards their goals, and how to set the right goals.
S.M.A.R.T. Goal Examples
Need some examples of how this may work with your own goals? Here are a few of my goals this year broken into the SMART framework.
SMART Goal: Read 30 Books in 2023
Specific: I am specifying a number (30 books) rather than saying “read more in 2023”
Measurable: I will use the Goodreads App to track the books I read.
Attainable: While this goal is 6 books higher than I reached in 2022, I feel it is still manageable for me.
Relevant: I love to read. I love learning new things and seeing different points of view. I love both taking a journey into another world and reading experts discuss topics that interest me.
Time-Bound: I am giving myself a year to achieve this goal.
SMART Goal: Strengthen my Relationship with my Husband with Multiple Dates Each Month.
Specific: We will schedule at least one date night out and one date night in each month. We will take turns planning these dates, and we will schedule them on the calendar in advance (at least a month in advance if possible).
Measurable: I am setting the number of dates per month as one date night in and one date night out.
Attainable: This goal is realistic because it fits into our budget and doesn’t interfere with family, work, or personal responsibilities.
Relevant: We both want to become closer as a couple and strengthen our bond.
Time-Bound: This long-term goal will run throughout the year, and hopefully into the years to come.
SMART Family Goal: Complete both the Peake Outdoors and the Paddle the Peak Challenges by the End of 2023
Specific: These challenges are specific to my city, and include visiting 20 local parks and trails (the Peak Outdoors Challenge) and kayaking the 10 local waterways (Paddle the Peake Challenge).
Measurable: Since there are a specific number of parks and waterways listed, this goal is measurable. I will use the VisitChesapeake app to track our progress.
Attainable: While this will be challenging, it is a realistic goal for my nature-loving family.
Relevant: We all love the outdoors, whether we are hiking, kayaking, or just exploring. As a military family, we try to take in as much as we can at each duty station since we know we will likely be moving on in just a few short years. This goal gives us the motivation to do that.
Time-Bound: I am giving us a year to complete this goal, though we hope to complete both by the fall of 2023.
Tips for Keeping Track of Your Goals
Utilize a Goal Journal
Having a journal dedicated to tracking my goals made a huge difference for me in 2022. I chose one with a habit tracker and plenty of space to jot down gratitude, exercise, parks visited, etc. each day. There are various options on the market, but I went with the GoGirl Planner because it has various pages in the front for brainstorming goals and strategizing action steps to accomplish those goals.
Another option is to incorporate goal tracking into your regular daily planner. This could be noting down days you exercise, logging books you have finished, etc. Find what works best for you and make it happen!
There’s an App for That
If you prefer to track everything on your device, there are numerous apps that specialize in goal tracking. The Strides app is a popular option if you are data-driven and want to see charts and graphs of your progress. GoalsonTrack includes a journaling aspect to record your thoughts. Habatica makes working on your goals a game, complete with rewards and a social networking option. Choose one that appeals the most to you and provides the motivation you need to accomplish your SMART Goals.
There are also numerous apps that track your progress on a specific goal. For active goals, (like workouts per week or running/biking distance) consider an app like Strava and others to get more specific stats. For reading goals, the Goodreads app is excellent for keeping track of books you read. There are even apps that help you track how much water you drink or your amount and quality of sleep. There’s an app for just about everything, so why not find one to help you reach your goals this year?
Make is Visible
Maybe this comes from my teacher days, but I love a good visual! They work especially well if you have a number-specific goal. I have used them to track the number of books read, the number of hours we spend outside for a month, local parks visited, etc. This method works especially well for family goals if you have younger kiddos. You can make a simple visual (or find one online) and keep it where you can see it often throughout the day (such as on the refrigerator).
A sheet we used to track out hours outside for a Hike it Baby 30 Challenge
Turn Those New Year’s Resolutions into SMART Goals
Already made your list of resolutions? No problem! Just use the SMART format to turn those resolutions into goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. In doing so, you may be surprised at just how successful you are at accomplishing your goals this year.
Looking for more tips on how to set goals, stay motivated, and get healthy in the new year? Check out my post on the Tales of a Mountain Mama blog about Choosing Health in the New Year!