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Happy New Year’s Eve!!!! I love how much hope comes with the turn of the new year; while you can make goals and resolutions at any time throughout the year, there is something about entering a new year with a clean slate, positivity, and motivation. However, unless your goals are realistic and attainable, there is a very big likelihood that all that motivation will fizzle out in a matter of weeks or even days. Here’s where SMART goals come in; follow the guide below to turn your New Year’s dreams into realistic resolutions!

SMART Goals are…

  • SPECIFIC: Make sure your goals are VERY detailed and specify exactly what needs to be accomplished, when, and who will be involved. For example, instead of having a NY resolution to “run more”, try “I will run for 30 minutes every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 8:00am”.
  • MEASURABLE: In order for your goals to become reality, they need to be measurable. To add to the previous example, perhaps you would add “I will lose 2 inches from my stomach by April by running for 30 minutes every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 8:00am”.
  • ACHIEVABLE: This is the step to make sure your goal is in fact realistic, and you are not biting off more than you can chew. For example, say you don’t currently run but your original resolution is “I will run 1 hour every day of the week”. This would be a very drastic change from your current level of running and probably wouldn’t be sustainable. Instead try the goal above: “I will run for 30 minutes every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 8:00am”.
  • RELEVANT: Making sure your goal is relevant ensures that you are keeping in mind the bigger picture of why you are wanting to enact this behavior change in the first place. If your specific, measurable, achievable goal is to lose 2 inches from your stomach by April by running for 30 minutes every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 8:00am, try incorporating your ultimate big picture goal: “I will lose 10 pounds and 4 inches from my stomach in 2022.”
  • TIMELY: In order to make your goal realistic, you must have a timeline in mind! This will help you check your progress and ensure it is measurable. To finalize our example goal: “I will lose 10 lbs and 4 inches from my stomach in 2022. To do this, I will run for 30 minutes every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 8:00am until March 31st. From April 1st -July 31st, I will increase my frequency by running for 30 minutes every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday morning at 8:00am. From August 1st – December 31, I will run for 45 minutes every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday morning at 8:00am.”

By detailing your resolutions so they hit these 5 marks, you ensure that you know exactly what, when and how you plan to achieve your goal which will keep you on track to success! Here’s to you and all that you can achieve in 2022!!

Written by GUADS staff member Kate with contributions from atlassian.com