The New Year is upon us and even though I always have good intentions about keeping resolutions, I always struggle with them. I either set super unattainable goals (publish a best seller within the next 12 months despite the fact that I haven’t started or even thought of a book idea) or I just have trouble keeping them. But this year, I am going to make better resolutions. Here’s how.

Why Should I Set Resolutions?

Here’s the deal, you don’t have to set New Year’s Resolutions, but it is a good idea to set goals. Once you set a goal for something (anything!) you have given yourself direction. I have found for myself that when I don’t have a goal (and direction), I tend to feel like I am drifting aimlessly. I try to do too many things at once or too much at once and eventually end up doing nothing at all.

Set an Intention Instead

One thing I’m doing this year is setting an intention instead of a goal. So instead of trying to make a bunch of goals, I have decided on a word that will be my focus this year. (And I can’t actually take credit for this idea. Gretchen Rubin came up with this fabulous idea!)

My favorite word to set is “intentional.” We live in a society where we don’t live intentionally; we tend to get lost in social media and our phones. Being intentional with your time is a great idea. Other words of the year that I have heard include “present,” “creative,” and “balance.”

Goal Setting

Others may still want to set a goal instead of having a catchphrase of the year. It feels so simple to set goals, right?

“I want to lose weight.”

“I want to be a better mom.”

“I want to travel more.”

Well, that’s great, but I can guarantee those goals will be hard to actually meet because they are so vague. When you set goals, you need to be smart about it and actually put some thought into it.

Refining Your Goals

I have heard before that if you are going to set a goal (or resolution) you should make it SMART. That means it should be:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Timely

So when setting a resolution, you should follow these guidelines. Instead of saying something vaguely goal-like, such as wanting to lose weight or deciding to be a happier person, choose something that fits these categories.

Example Goal Setting

I decided that this year, I wanted to start working out more. So to be specific, I would like to work out at least 3 mornings a week. I will be able to measure this by looking at how many mornings I actually work out. This is attainable because it gives me some wiggle room. It is realistic because it gives me some mornings to take off in case I can’t workout a certain morning.

How to Keep Resolutions

First of all, if you set a goal (or resolution) using the above categories, you will be more likely to keep your resolution. Setting a specific, attainable goal is half of the battle (or, at least, it is for me.) But there are some other ways to keep on track with your resolutions

Accountability

You need to find a way to stay on track and you have to tailor it to you. That might be having your spouse or friend check in with you or work on the same goal for themselves. That might mean joining an online community or board of people with similar goals. It might mean something as small as checking that day off of the calendar once you complete your goal that day.

If no one or nothing is there to keep you on track, it is so much easier to “cheat” on your goals and, eventually, drop them all together. I have started to tell my husband some of my goals and resolutions just so that every once in a while, he can ask me about them or mention that he hasn’t seen me working on them. That is usually enough to refocus me.

Pick a Shorter Time Frame

Keeping something up for an entire year can seem incredibly tedious at the beginning of January. It might be easier to simply set a goal for a month. Knowing at the beginning that it will only be a “must-do” for 30 or so days seems much easier than 365 days. The cool thing is that if you are able to keep it up for those 30 days, you have already most likely built a habit that will continue on.

So if you are determined to floss your teeth every night, make that your goal for January. If you are able to keep it up the entire month, chances are it is already a habit that will spill over into February and so forth.

Break a Larger Goal Up

Just as with picking a shorter time frame, breaking up a bigger goal into smaller goals can make it more attainable. For instance, if you want to build your Instagram following to 10,000 followers by the end of the year, make some smaller follower goals within that. Maybe you want 2,500 followers by March, 5,000 followers by June, and 7,500 followers by September. Making smaller goals makes the overall goal much more attainable.

Other Posts to Help You Reach Your Goals

Are you looking to lose weight? Read about how I lost the last of the baby weight after my first pregnancy.

Maybe you want to incorporate more Montessori into your life? Read about 3 easy ways to make your home more Montessori.

Do you want to get outside more? (Especially in cold weather?) Read about how a Minnesota mom gets her toddler ready to play outside in the winter.

Ready to get that toddler toilet trained? Read about the one thing I was missing during toilet training and how to save your sanity!

Want to keep your house clean? Follow my easy, peasy, 15 minute a day cleaning schedule.

Do you have a resolution this year? What helps you keep your resolutions?