How To Make New Year’s Resolutions – AND Keep Them!
Every year, millions of people take part in the age-old tradition of setting New Year’s resolutions. The start of a new year symbolizes a fresh start for many. What better way to kickstart those changes you’ve been wanting to make and putting off all year?
While we all have memories of setting resolutions over the years, we likely share another not-so-happy memory – the defeat. According to a study by FranklinCovey, by the end of January over a third of resolutions are abandoned [1].
Setting goals for ourselves is important. Identifying these new goals is a great opportunity to take charge of your own self-improvement. And yes, while many of us are guilty of disliking changes to our lives and routines, change is good! By setting out roadmaps for what and where you want to change, the idea of change becomes a lot more fun and approachable.
Getting started might not be the hard part, but staying motivated at every step sure is. The difference between success and failure can come down to the details of how you plan to reach your goal.
This year, let’s work smarter, not harder. And we mean that literally.
What are SMART Goals?
When you’re setting your goals for 2022, make sure they’re SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
The SMART method was first published in 1981 for the Management Review journal, but it works great for resolutions too [2]!
Let’s break down each letter of the SMART acronym:
Specific
Picture exactly what the end result of your resolution looks like. What do you need to do in order to get to that place?
This is a really important step in creating a plan for how to get to your goal. Let’s say you want to be healthier this year. This is the stage where you define what exactly that change may look like. Whether you want to drink more water, take your vitamins regularly, go on more walks, or whatever your goal is, be very clear with what you want to change and when.
Saying “I want to start working out more” is far less effective than saying “I want to go to the gym at least 3 times per week”. 
Measurable
Be sure that you can track your progress. Being able to see how far you’ve come is a fantastic feeling and a great motivator! It ultimately allows you to inspect your progress more thoroughly and reassure whether or not you’re still on track to your goal.
For some goals, it may be a little easier to establish a measurable system versus others. If your goal is to eat more fruits and vegetables, keep a log with you so you can record your intake. If you’re trying to become more mindful, take a weekly tally of how often you’re setting aside time for yourself to meditate or practice breathing exercises.
Achievable
This tends to be the most common pitfall. Taking too big of a step too fast can leave you feeling disappointed and defeated. Setting too big of a goal can also start to impede on other areas of your life, which can leave you and those around you feeling exhausted and out-of-touch.
This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t dream big! In fact, the opposite. The point is to be realistic and reasonable with the expectations you set for yourself.
It’s always best to start small and grow your goals. If you meet your first goal and it feels easy, consider kicking it up a notch! If your goal was to read for 20 minutes a day and you’re finding that time is flying by, increase your goal to 25 minutes, or 30 minutes.
Some of the best goals are the goals that can build upon themselves, so you’re always striving to achieve the next step. If you’re trying to get more heart-healthy, start by running a mile a day. As you improve, you can then run 2 miles, then 3 miles, and so on.
Relevant
Time to dig deep! Make sure that this goal matters to YOU. It’s at this point in the process you’ll really start asking yourself why you’re looking to make a change.
How and why does this matter to you, and does it matter for the right reasons?
According to popular self-help book author Dr. Michael Bennet, “goals that are born out of self-loathing or remorse usually don’t last as long [3].” Goals that come from a mindset ready to make a change to positively improve the quality of your life have much more meaning, and thus are more likely to be achieved.
Time-Bound
To measure your progress, you’ll need to have a timeline to compare yourself against. When deciding on a time-range, you will once again need to practice being realistic with yourself.
Have you ever heard the phrase “Good things come to those who wait”? Well, it’s often true and waiting to see the results of your hard work is no exception. Give yourself enough time to actually feel, see, and/or hear these changes.
On the other hand, setting your goal’s deadline too far out can actually work against you. You may end up putting off the goal because there’s no sense of urgency.
What’s Next?
Once you’ve set up your SMART framework, you’re ready to get started on your journey towards positive change!
Like any journey, there are bound to be twists and turns. You might get derailed, get discouraged, or even think about giving up. When you’re feeling down, return to your SMART goal planning and reacquaint yourself with the milestones and purpose you set for yourself.
Is this goal still relevant to you? Can you achieve your goal in the time you mentioned? Are you keeping track of your progress?
If you’re not confident the answer is still “yes” to any of these questions, it could be time to reevaluate. Your resolutions are not set in stone. If there’s a part of your goal that just isn’t working for you anymore, switch it up!
A common reason for abandoning your goals is not feeling like you have enough time. Maybe you underestimated how much of a workload you would have in January, and don’t have as much time to commit to your resolution as you thought. You planned to go for a 30 minute walk during lunch everyday, you can only make it out three times per week.
Instead of going cold turkey and abandoning your progress, make adjustments to your original SMART goal plan. You’re still committing to yourself and your goals, but you’re making it the most beneficial version for you. And after all, that’s what this is all about.
Most importantly, don’t forget to give yourself a pat on the back every once in a while! Deciding to make your wellness a priority is the first step, and we’re here to cheer you on the whole way!
Our resolution? Pushing the envelope of science and technology to continue to evolve with bringing you not only the highest quality of vitamins, but also the most convenient. That means you’ll be seeing a lot more awesome vitamins in our super portable and easy to drink packets this year. We hope you follow along!
- https://ir.franklincovey.com/node/7316/pdf
- Doran, G. T. (1981). "There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management's goals and objectives". Management Review. 70 (11): 35–36.
- https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smarterliving/resolution-ideas