So with recent events and unexpected changing of plans, I’ve been doing a lot of work focusing on said shifting plans and my changing goals for 2016. Many of these goals are based around the blog so you’ll certainly be noticing some changes in the coming weeks and months!

But with setting these goals, it reminded me of a post I did several years ago that I wanted to unearth- with a few adjustments.

So before we get to the New Year, let’s talk about goals and resolutions, as planning and organization are the best way for success!

1. Start Early

Planning ahead is very important to me – I like time to consider what matters most to me and what I personally really want to work on. New goals can be set any time of year but I feel as if resolutions are special. They are that extra special “thing” and it’s a time when almost everyone else has set theirs so there is more support from others. It’s an optimistic time so you really want to think about what you want. Once you’ve started thinking about it and have committed to a resolution earlier, it will be more concrete in your mind.

2. Know Why

Why do you want to do this? Really take time to think about it. Paint yourself a picture of how completing this goal will affect your life and how you will feel when you get there. Write it down on a piece of paper and keep it somewhere convenient to you. When you are feeling less than inspired make sure to check your note to rekindle your motivation and dedication.

3. Be Specific

Maybe you want to work out more or be “healthier”. These are wonderful goals but how are you going to do it? Because they are so vague, it’s easy to forget over time and just quit. A more specific goal would be to drink 8 glasses of water a day to be healthier or to plan on going to the gym 3 times every week along with planning each day you will plan on going and when.  It should be a goal you can measure and you can ask yourself the question “did I complete my goal this week?  Yes or no?” and immediately know the answer.

4. Think Small

This may sound strange, but when it comes to resolutions, think small. For example, if you don’t work out at all and decide you want to become more fit and work out daily, you want to stick with something you will actually do now and in the long run. When the year is new and your goals are set in your mind, maybe you’ll be enthusiastically going to the gym every day or running every morning but over time your old schedule may start to take hold as your dedication wavers. Maybe instead, you could plan on doing 20 push ups, 30 squats and 30 crunches three times a week. It is smaller and  specific and would only require a small change to your current habit. By setting a smaller, more obtainable goal you set yourself up for something that will last in the long run. After all, once you get into the habit of doing that goal then you can always add to your goals later.

5. Have a Plan

Now this is key and relates to starting early. Little or big, for all goals to succeed you need a plan. It may sound silly but one year I made my resolution to start flossing once a day every day but I never made a plan and when it got around to the new year, it never happened. If I had really committed to my goal, maybe  I would have bought floss in advance (maybe even several different types so that I could find which type I preferred) and set it up nicely in my bathroom, put up notes on my mirror to remind myself to floss every evening etc. A resolution is something you’ve never done before or if you have done it before, haven’t succeeded so you need to put together a plan of action to set yourself up to succeed this time around.

What sort of goals have you set in the past? Did you succeed? What sort of goals do you want to accomplish this year?