Another new year, another attempt at getting fit… 

And another epic fail…  

In the past, I would start each new year with a new set of resolutions which maybe made it about 5 days before they crashed and burned.  So this year I’m trying a different strategy.  Rather than setting out to do something for a whole year, I’m instead setting small, attainable goals and guidelines myself.  

Here are some of my tips to help you set yourself up for success in 2021 and beyond.

FOCUSING ON ‘MINI’ GOALS

Making grand statements of getting fit or saving money is a sure fire way to fail.  So instead of saying, “I’m going to just ‘get fit’ this year,” I actually set specific and more focused ‘mini’ exercise goals with targets to hit each month - making each accomplishment more attainable than a year long quest.  For instance, I want to workout 3 times a week in January and lose 2 lbs of the holiday weight I put on.  Once January is over I can look back on my goal and see if I accomplished it.  Did I crush my goal and go above and beyond?  Or did I have a hard time accomplishing it?  I can use the answers to those questions to then make a new goal for February, and so on.  

So whatever your goals are, make them more focused, even if that means you’re making more goals overall.  Each ‘mini’ goal will be easier to track and accomplish, so win, win!  

SETTING SMART GOALS 

So you have mini goals set, but are they SMART?  Putting my marketing degree to good use, I’m also making each mini goal I set a SMART goal.  SMART goals stand for a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.  So what does that mean?  

SPECIFIC

Any goals you make should point to something specific.  What exactly do you want to do?  Read a certain number of books?  Write in your journal everyday?  Workout twice a week?  

MEASURABLE 

Then make sure whatever you are doing is measurable.  So is it 20 books you want to read? If you’re aiming to write in your journal everyday - that’s also measurable since you’re writing 1x everyday and are essentially recording when you are doing so.  

ACHIEVABLE

Make sure you aren’t setting yourself up for failure with unachievable goals.  If reading 20 books in January is impossible with your schedule then update your goal to be something that is reasonable and possible for you to strive to achieve.  Maybe 2 books in January? 

RELEVANT

This is particularly important in business but also in life.  Ask yourself, why are you trying to hit these goals?  Are they for self improvement, professional reasons, etc?  Make sure you can tie them back to a larger hope or desire for yourself.  For instance, do you want to read 20 books to become a faster reader?  Are you reading self help books to help you develop your professional career?  Are books your personal escape and stress release and reading them will help you achieve personal happiness?  If you’re doing it to impress someone or just because you feel like you should do it, maybe you’re wasting your time on something that is irrelevant to your other goals.  

TIME-BOUND

And lastly, gIving yourself a time limit is the best way to achieve something.  To just say oh I want to read 20 books… you might not pace yourself in the most efficient way and you won’t have a deadline to strive for.  But if you say you want to read 20 books within the next 10 months, you know you should aim to try to read 2 books a month to stay on track.  Then you also have a date you can add to your calendar to see if you achieved your goal on time.  

TRACK YOUR GOALS

Find a way to track your accomplishments and mini SMART goals.  Having a singular spot like a google sheet that has columns noting all your goals, dates you’re planning to achieve them by and notes about your progress will set you up for the best success.  I recommend updating each week or each day depending on how specific your goals are. 

UTILIZE OTHERS TO KEEP YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE

Setting consequences for yourself and keeping yourself accountable is also important.  Maybe you find a partner who is trying to achieve the same thing as you to tackle your goals together.  Or maybe you tell someone, like your bf, bff, or mom what you are planning to accomplish so you have someone that will check in on your progress.  

HYPE YOURSELF UP

Nothing gets me more in the mood to workout than getting new fitness gear to wear.  It definitely hypes me up and gets me excited for my next workout.  So if you need added motivation do something and to get excited to start your new tasks, pick out something that will propel you to start chipping away at your goal (maybe a new bookmark or reading light for all those books?).  

Hyping yourself up to do something doesn’t have to involve buying new gear either, you can also set rewards for yourself.  Maybe once you finish your second book of the month you can binge watch your fave tv show, or once you do your daily journal entry you take a stroll in the sunshine.  Nothing is too big or too small if it hypes you up to achieve your goals!

BE POSITIVE AND PATIENT

Go into each new goal with a positive mindset and allow yourself mistakes and missteps.   Negativity is a huge culprate in self sabotage!  If you see yourself succeeding, the finish line will be much easier to cross.  

And since we’re set up for another unprecedented year of lockdowns, altered routines, etc. there is no need to force yourself into anything.  If you didn’t achieve your goal within your allotted time frame - reevaluate if it’s still something you are trying to achieve and if it is, just continue on with a new end date that is more achievable for you!