MAKE YOUR NEW YEAR RESOLUTION LAST LONGER THAN A WEEK IN 2024 : SET REALISTIC GOALS.

New year, new me ; every year as January approaches, we tell ourselves that this year will be my year. We make new year resolutions, we make promises to ourselves, and we set goals for the year to come. 

But, do we end up sticking to these resolutions, promises, and goals? Eh, not really…

Why? Well, probably because that 1st or that Monday never comes. The question however is, “why do we wait for that 1st or that Monday?” Probably because our promise, goal, or resolution is too broad, too vague, too unrealistic to achieve, and/or lacks a ‘why’.

So here are some ways you can achieve your goal, stick your resolution, and act on your promise- 

Divide goals in different categories :

Goals fall into a wide variety of categories. For example ; Professional goal : working toward a promotion, becoming better at networking, or growing your business. Personal goal : exercising more, reading a certain number of books, or learning a new skill. Financial goal : buying a house, or paying the student loan. Physical goal : running a 5k, building muscles, or improving your stamina. 

You could have a personal goal of buying that bag you have been eyeing, or traveling 3 countries in a year. Goals are what will spark passion, excitement, new skills, and drive into your life. But you need to know how to work toward your goals and set reasonable ones if you really want to achieve them. 

Break down goals into realistic or unrealistic:

Breaking goals into realistic or unrealistic can prevent what we call - burn out, and low self - esteem. What makes our goals unrealistic? A couple factors. 

• Underestimating the uncertainty of life.

• Trying to run against time.

• Overestimating your capacity.

• Not accounting for other roles you play in your life. 

• Not fully defining what the goal means. 
  

If we set a goal to expand our business in a year without considering the odds, we are bound to face disappointment. Keeping in mind your environment, circumstances, and time frame, it is recommended that one makes more room and space for the unrealistic goals and allows more time or reduces the deciding factor of reaching the goal. 

Eg, “I want to grow my business” is a very vague definition. 

Start by identifying what growth means, reflect if it's reasonable considering the points mentioned above and if not, modify it by either increasing the time frame or decreasing the deciding factor for growth. 

Schedule buffer time : 

Buffer time for goals is of vital importance as it makes room for motivation, and self compassion.  What is a buffer time one may ask and how do we set a buffer time?

Buffer time is nothing but a technique that reduces the mental stress we get from a major upcoming project and task. It helps one feel motivated to finish the task, it lets one incorporate kindness and compassion for self, and lastly, it makes room for fun in life as well. 

Ways to incorporate buffer time - 

• Analyze your task and make a ballpark estimate of the time required to complete it. If there is a deadline to the task, calculate how many days you have to complete the task. 

• Break the task into smaller achievable steps.

• Don't make the task monotonous. Set three priorities for the day, which could on some days not include the task at hand if one has a longer deadline. 

• Keep room for bad days, uncertain events that happen, or days when one lacks energy or motivation. 
  

An example would be - “I have a presentation due in the first month of February” 

I will start by analyzing how long I would take to make the presentation, if I would need additional help, and smaller details like these. Second, I would mark 30th January as a personal deadline for myself to finish the presentation. Then, I would put working on the presentation as my top 3 priorities of the day and take smaller , achievable steps like working on 2 topics for Monday, and on Tuesday, adding animation and pictures to those two topics and so on. That said, I'll keep room for important days/ unavoidable circumstances  like, birthdays, anniversary, traveling, sick days, or family emergencies and would not assign work that day. 

Focus on continuation, not improvement  : 

Read this statement again. One of the reasons why we can't stick to our goal is because we focus on improvement more than continuation. Improvement is not bad, however, it creates a barrier between keeping up. Eg, if your goal is to eat healthy for the year, and you miss being healthy for 3 nights, focusing on improvement will turn out to be a bane. Your automatic thought process would be, ‘I messed up this month already, next month I'll be good, so let's eat whatever this month’  Vs,  with a continuation mindset, you will get back to eating healthy on the 4th day, as your automatic thought process would be different. 

Connect your goal to a ‘WHY’ : 

Connecting your goal to a why is important as it gives you intrinsic motivation to continue working. It provides a rationale and a reason that keeps you going on days when you don't have it in you to work. 

Use reward system : 

Rewards act as reinforcement for our brain which leads us to work towards any task or activity. Rewards can be small or big depending on the value the task or goal holds. Something to remember, rewards should not only be given when the goal is achieved. Giving yourself rewards for ticking off your 3 top priorities or a reward for continuing a task is recommended for reinforcement. 

Use SMART : 

SMART : Specific , Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. 

To help you find some clarity, here are five questions that follow the structure -  

• Specific: What is it that you’d exactly like to do?

• Measurable: How will you know that you’ve accomplished your goals and you’re satisfied?

• Achievable: Is this a realistic goal or not?

• Relevant: How relevant is this goal to your values, future plans, and what’s important in your life?

• Timely: When do you want to achieve this goal? What time frame will you give yourself?

Goal setting works, if done correctly! Stick to your resolutions, promises, and goals this year by incorporating these techniques. 

Happy January!