The typical theme for January is New Years Resolutions - good intentions for the year that are forgotten or not applicable by mid-March.
You can probably guess, I’m not a big NYR person. However, I am a HUGE believer in goal-setting. I actually have a journal dedicated to writing down my goals on a mostly-regular basis. *nerd alert*
Here are a few different goal setting tips to try out.
- Don’t set annual goals; set 12 week goals. This is a great method of goal setting because you can adapt and adjust for when life gets crazy. For example, goals that were set in January 2020 mostly went out the window by mid-March when everything shut down. If you set a 12 week goal, you can adapt as needed. A great book about this is The 12 Week Year.
- Set Good/Better/Best goals. This method is especially if you are afraid of failure by not reaching your goals. For example, if you want to run your first 5k, you could set a Good/Better/Best goal. Good would be finishing. Better would be finishing between 30-45 minutes. Best would be finishing under 30 minutes.
- Set SMART goals. These goals are really good at giving you clarity about what you want to achieve. “Getting more organized” is really vague; “Reducing kitchen clutter by 50% by next month” is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.
- Review your goals on a regular basis. Goals should not be “set them and forget them.” They should be reviewed regularly to see if you’re on track, or even if they still apply to you. One way to keep your goals in the forefront of your mind is to write them down daily. Have a dedicated notebook just for writing down your goals. Or at least, review them when you are planning for your week.
- Set new goals. Did you accomplish your goal? Great! Set another one! You don’t have to wait for January 1st to set goals.
- Set stretch goals. What is something that is outside your comfort zone? A good stretch goal has you a little afraid inside. Whether that’s losing weight, taking a solo international trip, or starting a business, a stretch goal will expand what you think is possible. Having a support or accountability partner or group can be really helpful you set a stretch goal.
What is 1 goal you want to accomplish sometime in 2021? If you leave a comment, Caty will write back and tell you one goal she has for 2021.