Having trouble following through with your new years goals? I’m laying out exactly how I set goals and actually stick to them so you can do the same!

It’s a new year and we all know what that means… new goals! Speaking for myself, I know I have the best of intentions when setting goals, but in reality I’m not the best with discipline. And that’s okay! It’s just not one of my strong-suits and I know many others face the same challenge. BUT with much trial and error, I’ve come up with a plan that helps me not only set goals, but also stick to them.

If you’re like me and have all the motivation to work towards a better you but just have trouble achieving goals, I promise this article is going to help you SO much. Keep reading to get to the good stuff and let me know if these tips help you this new year!

How To Set Goals And Actually Stick To Them

1. Set a goal… and make it SMART

First and foremost, you need to figure out what type of goal you want to set. This can be anything from eating more vegetables, eating out less often, cutting down on sugar, losing weight, etc. If you’re not sure where you want to start, definitely check out my most recent article where I share my top 5 realistic goals to set in the new year.

Once you have an idea of your goal, it’s time to make it’s SMART. In other words, make your goal as detailed as possible by making sure it’s…

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Timely

For example, if your goal is to lose weight. Ask yourself questions like…

• “What’s my current weight?”
• “How much do I want to lose”
• “In what time span do I want to lose this amount of weight?”
• “Is it realistic or attainable for me to lose the amount of weight I want in the time span I want?”

Once you’ve answered these questions, instead of your goal being to “lose weight”, it’ can now be something like “lose 10 pounds in 2 months”. Making it much easier for you to stay on track!

2. Write down your goal

Once you’ve come up with your goal and made it SMART, write it down! I know this seems like a silly step, but studies show that doing this makes it more likely that you’ll actually achieve your goal. This may be because you’re bringing your goal from a thought or a dream to reality. But, putting it on paper and placing it somewhere that you can see also gives you a daily reminder and the motivation that you may need to continue.

Plus, if you’re one of those people that likes to make to-do lists solely for the purpose of feeling fulfilled crossing things off, once you DO achieve your goal (because I know you will) you get to check it off and start a new one. Eventually, you’ll have a whole bunch of them!

3. Track your goal

Last but not least, make sure you’re tracking your goals! Similar to writing down your goals, tracking them can help keep you motivated AND most importantly it can also keep you on track. Look at it this way – (going with the example above), if your goal is to lose 10 pounds in 2 months, and you aren’t regularly keeping track, whether that’s weighing yourself once per week, taking measurements, noting how your clothes fit, etc., how will you know if you’re making progress or if you need to make changes along the way?

SO, with that being said, make sure you come up with a plan for how you’re going to track you goal(s). Don’t get too crazy here, It doesn’t have to be super strict. Just make sure you commit so having some type of “check-in” days where you can either note progress measurements or look back on the last few days to a week to make sure you’re on track.

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I hope you liked these tips! If you’re ready to start setting goals, don’t forget to check out my top 5 realistic goals to set in 2021 and let me know how it goes!!