It's so tempting to make new goals at the beginning of every year. It just feels like the right time for a renewal, a new beginning. I'm not really the type to make new year's resolutions because I've read that in many cases they are empty dreams. How can we get those dreams to become a reality? Write them down and review them often.
Dr. Gail Matthews, psychology professor from Dominican University, did research on goal setting and found that one of the main reasons people achieve their goals is writing goals down. Now, you can't just write the goal and shove it away on a shelf. You must review those goals on a regular basis, daily is best, in order to keep touch with what you're wanting to accomplish. Maybe you won't work on attaining the goals every day, but at least giving yourself the reminder that you have goals may urge you to work on them tomorrow.
Here's what successful goal achievers suggest doing to attain your goals:
- Focus on a few goals. You may have a lot you would like to accomplish, but looking at a whole list every day can be daunting. Maybe just have one major list of goals to pick and choose from and another shorter list you revisit often as a reminder of what you want to work on.
- Give yourself a deadline to encourage motivation. Try to give yourself a date that is realistic and attainable. It may be as short as a week or 3 months. Deadlines give you the urgency that you need to keep at those goals.
- Reward your progress. That's right! Give yourself something for getting through it, making the strides to get to the final prize. You need to recognize the little things that get you closer to your goal.
- Tell someone about your goal for accountability. Putting it out in the universe to a confidante helps because they'll ask you how your journey is coming along. When they ask you, you'll want to let them know that you've been working on your goal.
I find that my mood has a lot to do with whether I attain my goals as well. If I'm having a bad day, it's difficult to work on my goals. I may just desire to reward myself with an iced coffee and say I'm done for the day--"leave a message"! Ha! I think for me it's good to know and track my moods from day to day and I'm going to start. It will be a good way to look for patterns of how I'm doing and if I have the right mindset for working on goals.
If you like the pages that you see in the images above, you can have them too! Just click the button above to download them. For the "Ring in the New Year" page, you have title color choices. You could color code your lists--home, school, personal, etc. If you know someone who might like these as well, simply share the link to this post by clicking below. Have a very happy new start to your new year!