Gilded Musings: How To Set Up Goals For The New Year

The New Year is right around the corner, and with that comes a bunch of new possibilities! One of my favorite things to do the last week of the year is to set up my goals for the upcoming year.

You've probably heard of SMART goals, and while they sound kind of gimmicky, there's a reason they are a thing.

SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely

By setting SMART goals, you force yourself to be more definitive, which makes you more likely to achieve your goals!

Before we get started, let's review what each of these terms means concerning one of my most important goals - GETTING IN SHAPE!

Specific: The goal should target a particular area of improvement or answer a particular need. - lose 72 pounds by September 2019
Measurable: The goal must be quantifiable, or at least allow for quantifiable progress. - I can track my progress by writing down how much I lose each month
Attainable: The goal should be realistic, based on available resources and existing constraints. - I know that by eating right and exercising, I can lose weight. Plenty of options and resources are available to me.
Relevant: The goal should align with other objectives to be considered worthwhile. - It's incredibly relevant as I am getting married in May 2020 and want to feel fit and confident for my wedding. Not to mention, I just need to lose it anyway to be healthy!
Time-bound: The goal must have a deadline or a defined end. - I've assigned a deadline

Now that we've gone over my SMART GOAL, this is how I actually sit down & plan them out.

MY PROCESS FOR SETTING GOALS

1. Brain Dump - write everything down that I want to accomplish for the new year keeping in mind to make them SMART - specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. I choose my top 3-5 from that list. It's important to limit my goals to 3-5 because they can quickly start to feel unattainable and make you feel overwhelmed. I prefer to feel focused.

2. Questions - I ask myself a few questions regarding these goals. Why is this important to me? How will it change my life for the better? How will I feel once I accomplish it? Then I write them down next to the goal so I can reference them whenever I'm working on it. It's very encouraging!

3. Action Items - Break up the goal into various small steps and assign these steps due dates (ACTION ITEMS). Some of these steps may be something that can be done quickly, like purchasing healthy foods, and others might take a little longer, like actually losing 10 pounds. By assigning due dates to the steps & the goal itself, it keeps you accountable & provides you with a clear path to accomplish it.

4. Reward - Once I reach a specific goal, I like to choose a reward. It may be something as simple as a coffee or sweet treat, or it may be a mini weekend vacation. Depending on how big the goal is will determine my reward. And by knowing that I get XYZ when I reach it, it gives me that much more motivation to complete it!

Now, where can we write all this goodness down? Don't worry, I've got you! You can download my handy goal-setting insert for ring planners that will walk you through setting deadlines, defining Smart Goals, and creating an action plan!