How to make SMART New Year's Resolutions

With the Christmas season fading away, 2016 is becoming a memory; good for some, too bad to mention for others. Now it's time to move on to the next stage...2017. For every new year, it is common to set goals which we will complete during the year however its is rare that we actually complete these "resolutions". WHY IS THAT?!

Maybe our approach isn't SMART;

1. Specific

In order to complete a goal we need to know what is, therefore, it has to be well-detailed. E.g. I want to lose weight. How much? By what date.

Making our goals specific is easy, we just need to know:

WHAT is our goal?

WHY do we want to achieve this goal?

WHO is involved in this goal?

WHEN do we start/finish?

WHERE do we begin?

HOW do we achieve this goal? 

If we know exactly what we want, it is easier to get it.

2. Measurable

If we can't measure our progress, then we won't be able to tell if we have reached the goal. E.g. Daniel wants to be more fluent in Spanish? How does he measure that?

1. Time how long he can hold a conversation with a Spanish speaker.

2. Do an oral exam every month and compare the results.

There needs to be some way for us to assess ourselves so we know if we are on track or not.

 3. Attainable

This is where a lot of us stumble when making our resolutions, sometimes we set the bar so high that it looks like it was meant for someone else. 

E.g. Goal: I will stop eating chicken. 

Problem: I eat chicken daily.  

If we  make the goal too demanding, we give up in no time. A very important part of goal setting is understanding yourself (strengths and weaknesses) and set goals that are reasonable enough to achieve.

E.g. Problem: I eat chicken daily.

       New Goal: I will eat chicken only four days a week.

4. Relevant

Sometimes we make goals that seem as irrelevant as some formulae we see in math. E.g. Jill wants to lose weight when she is already underweight. Sam want to save enough money to fix his PS3 rather than use that money to buy a PS4. When you make a goal, make sure it isn't redundant and has a genuine benefit to you.

5. Time-Based

For 2017, my friend wants to complete goals that he thought of in 2014, failed to do in 2015 and forgot about in 2016. Time management can be hard but it's necessary for keeping us on track to getting stuff done. We have to have deadlines and work to complete our ambitions by that time. E.g. I want to be able to run the 100m in under 12s by March 31, 2017.

That's it guys! Wish you all a prosperous New Year and remember to set SMART goals for yourselves.

Online Source Link: http://alifeofproductivity.com/resolutions/chapter4/