Be SMART in 2021!
You have January 1 circled on your calendar in red ink. The day you will start eating vegetables again, meditating regularly and cutting back on your alcohol intake. You have vowed that 2021 will be THE year you start sticking to your resolutions in the long-term. But what happens three months down the road when life takes the reigns and your daily meditation practice falls through the cracks?
So many of us resolve to make changes in our everyday lives at the start of the year. After all, it feels like the perfect chance for a new beginning and to reverse our bad habits. While the New Year is a great time to brainstorm things in our lives that we wish to change, perhaps we should also think of how we will stay on track when forced to overcome struggles with our willpower and commitment. Resolutions are, unfortunately, much easier to break than to sustain but with a few simple tips we hope to help you get off to the fresh start you envision!
Be SMART: SMART is an acronym that is used to help people guide their goal setting. Using this goal-setting process can help you decide if a goal is a good fit for you. Run through the list below with your New Year’s resolutions to see if you’re setting goals the SMART way!
Specific
Your goals should be clear and specific. An easy way to do this? Try to answer the following questions:
What is it that I hope to accomplish? Why is this important to me? Who do I need involved? Where is it located? What resources are involved?
By answering these questions, you will be able to focus your efforts and truly feel motivated to accomplish it.
Measurable
A measurable goal should be clear on what things will look like when accomplished. How will you know that you have been successful? This could be a number, a specific event or experience. Logging progress in a journal or smartphone application can help to reinforce your small steps over the long-term.
Achievable
Goals can only be successful when they are realistic and attainable, otherwise you will be left frustrated. How will you accomplish your goal? It is important to keep in mind other factors such as time and finances, how realistic is the goal?
Relevant/Realistic
When outlining goals or resolutions, it is important to select something that really matters to you. Does it seem worthwhile? Is now the right time to work on this? Make sure you are making it for the right reasons.
Time Bound
Set dates and milestones for various steps along the way. What do you hope to accomplish in three and six months from now? Is there an end goal and when do you hope to achieve it by? Give yourself enough time to accomplish your goals and include smaller goals along the way.
An example of a smart goal is “I will lose 3 pounds per month by following my nutritionists’ meal plan and exercising on my peloton for 30 minutes every weekday.”As you can see, this is much more clear-cut than just saying you will lose weight in 2021.
Here are some other tips to help keep you on track:
Don’t be afraid to keep things simple. Even if you make one resolution and stick to it, consider it a success and pat yourself on the back.
Team up and share your goals and visions with friends and family. Having support and accountability partners will help you to stay focused and motivated along your journey.
Monitor your progress and celebrate each step along the way! Change is NOT easy so don’t hesitate to reward yourself when you have reached both your short-term and long-term goals. If you fall off track at any point, review the goal-setting process above and see how perhaps you can alter your goals so they become more realistic.