on new year's resolutions

So, I know it's not Sunday, but I'd like to talk a bit about New Year's Resolutions, or just about goals in general.

Goals are great. Goals are necessary. They can help you be more motivated, more productive, and more accomplished. So, in many ways, goals are healthy, and thus relevant to this blog.

I know there are a lot of mixed feelings out there about New Year's Resolutions. And, it's true, you should always have goals, not just at the start of the New Year. But January 1st can be a great time to reevaluate your goals, which is important, valuable, and effective.

But where people go wrong is that they make big, sweeping, general goals that have no direction or strategy or heart behind them, and as a result they're never accomplished and next January 1st they end up back on the list. One way to prevent this is by setting S.M.A.R.T goals Note: I did not come up with this acronym. But I do use this method both in my work and personal life.

S.M.A.R.T stands for

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Results-Focused

Time-bound

So if a typical goal would be "lose weight,"  a S.M.A.R.T goal would be "Lose 15 pounds by April 1st, 2015." The S.M.A.R.T. goal is specific in that the number of pounds one wishes to shed is clarified. It is measurable in that I can step on a scale and see if I've accomplished my goal (and check my progress along the way). It is achievable that I am not expecting to move mountains. I am simply hoping to lose about 1.25 lbs a week for 12 weeks, a medically-sound and reasonable number. It is results-focused in that the goal is measuring an outcome. And it is time-bound in that it has a specific deadline. 

What makes them so effective is that S.M.A.R.T goals come built in with accountability and a plan-of-action. By setting your goals S.M.A.R.Tly, you've already given yourself a huge advantage because you've made your goal possible and put yourself in the mindset that you can do it. When a goal is too vague, you can easily push it off, deem it impossible, or have no way to know when it is finished.

Next, I suggest you put your goal(s) somewhere you can see it (them). This can add that extra layer of accountability and ensure you don't lose track of your intentions as January 1st becomes January 2nd, then 3rd, then 4th, and so on. I am going to put mine right here for that exact reason.

1. Lose 27 lbs September 24th, 2015.

2. Finish 52 books by December 31st, 2015.

3. Post 1 blog post per week on Sundays. 

4. Read 10 articles (scientific, economic, or news) per week.

You'll be able to keep up with my progress on at least the first 3. 1 will be documented in my "Personal Health Initiatives" up there at the top. 2 will be tracked on Goodreads. And 3, of course, will be right here! Check back on Sunday for that post I have promised and in the meantime, set your own S.M.A.R.T goals!

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