Twenty seventeen is just days away, we could probably start counting the hours at this point – and for many, it’s a new beginning looming before us. And whether or not you find a fresh start and motivation with a new year, there’s no denying resolutions are a big thing – let it be the first of January, or in my case May, here are a few tips to rocking your resolutions and achieving your goals.
1. Write it Down.
First and foremost, this is literally the easiest step. Always write your goals down because the greatest satisfaction is crossing something you did off a list, well maybe second to actually achieving your goal.
But more than writing it down, keep it somewhere you’ll see it. On your wall, in your wallet or planner, as the background of your phone, etc. Something you look at fairly frequently.
NOTE: while images in this post are form my bullet journal, you do NOT have to use a bullet journal to use the tips in this post!
2. Really want (or need) it.
Sure, I’d love to be a size 6 (hello cute tops!), but honestly, I’m not motivated to put in the work. I’m (mostly) fine with my weight, though I do plan to tone it up a bit this year. However, I am motivated to go on more adventures, read more books and cook more food! And I need to be better about budgeting and saving money.
3. Be Realistic.
I’m the worst about factoring reality into much of anything – especially my dreams. But the reality is, there is a huge difference between “saving an emergency fund” and “save a quarter million dollars”.
I’m still going to stick with nothing is outside the realm of possibility – I could feel lucky one Tuesday afternoon, buy a lottery ticket and wake up a millionaress one morning… but I’m twenty seven, and I’ve felt “lucky” enough to buy a lottery ticket twice – so I’m not counting my hens before they hatch… or however that works out. But realistically, I can save $1,000 dollars.
4. Be Specific.
Define your goals this year. The thing with making things like exercise more, read more, save money, etc. is that there’s really no limit or goal to it. How do you know when you’ve accomplished your goal? How do you know when you need to get a little more serious?
If I went to the gym one time in 2017, I have officially went to the gym “more” than I did in 2016. I wouldn’t exactly call that over achieving. Especially with the cost of gym memberships, I’d call that wasting money.
However – say I want to try a new recipe every week (or 52 recipes), read 50 books, lost 20 pounds, 5 new day destinations, save $1,000, etc. Now we really have goals.
5. Break It Up & Make a Plan
Let’s go back to that saving money example, where I said I could save a thousand but probably not a quarter million… remember?
Here is the perfect example of how to save $1,000. Ultimately the goal itself is a decent chunk of change I can’t just throw in savings on Tuesday, I need to add it into my budget.
I can however set up an automatic transfer to take $50 out of each check/$100 a month and by October have achieved my goal. For goals that need more planning, write out a plan. One of my goals is to achieve digital organization, to the right is a quick draft of my action plan to successfully complete the goal.
NOTE: There are a ton of printables and layouts available if you look them up as well, to be honest, organized planning is hard for me, I usually just write a bunch of notes until I know where I’m going.
6. Deadlines & Reminders
Set deadlines, time tables and reminders to help keep yourself on track and hold yourself accountable. It’s easy for the year to fly by and suddenly it’s October and you can’t even remember what your resolutions are. When you work out your action plan and decide on how you’re going to break it up, give yourself a deadline to accomplish each part, and set a reminder to keep yourself going.
7. Review
I review my goals every three months, I look at where I am, where I planned to be, what’s working and what is not. And with all of that I decide on if and what changes I can make to adjust for a successful outcome. I don’t only do this with resolutions and goals, I do this in general. I take a day on the first Saturday of March, June, September and December to look at how I’m progressing in everything I am doing. (I actually plan to take this action more seriously this year, because December this past year, I went and ate a cheese burger, looked at my list of things I’m doing and crossed off and noted what I had accomplished and a few to-dos).
8. Don’t Give Up
Above everything and anything else, DO. NOT. GIVE. UP! Keep working until you have what you want. Even if you find yourself falling behind, take the chance to review and re-approach what you’re doing, something it can be your resolution itself needs changed. I can’t tell you how many times my goals have changed over time and I needed to redirect myself to something else.
Some Other Notes/Ideas to Think About
- Reward Yourself
- Make an Inspiration or Vision Board
While none of my goals above are “new”, I’ve decided to keep stealing from my 101 Things Project to achieve that rather than try adding something more.
A New Adventure 