New Year’s Goals
In today's fast-paced world, setting goals for the new year is crucial for achieving specific objectives. It helps us focus our attention and energy on what we want to accomplish. However, not all goals are created equal, and a specific process needs to be followed to ensure effectiveness. This article will explore the steps for setting effective goals that will help create positive change in our lives.
Setting goals for the new year is important because it helps us to focus our attention and energy on achieving specific objectives. By setting goals, we can identify what we want to accomplish and create a plan of action to make it happen.
However, not all goals are created equal. In order to set goals that are effective and achievable, it's important to follow a specific process. In the following steps, we will explore how to set effective goals to help us create positive change in our lives.
Free Downloadable PDF New Year’s Goal Setting Worksheet Below
Reflect on the Past Year
Think about various areas of your life during the previous year. Sometimes, it’s easier to reflect on your goals from last year and where you are achieving them. Maybe your priorities change, and you scrap those goals or redirect them.
Some areas of life to think about:
Fitness
Financial
Career
Hobbies
Personal
The specific strategy may depend on personal preference and individual circumstances, but the ultimate goal is to understand oneself and the world around us better.
Challenges to Reflection and Personal Growth
Fear of change - It is natural for us to fear change, but to grow, we have to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Change is where growth happens.
Lack of motivation - Motivation will not always be there. Still, working towards making habits to achieve your goals is essential rather than relying on motivation to keep you going.
Lack of accountability - Find a way to hold yourself accountable. Schedule a check-in on progress toward your goals and make adjustments based on what is working and what is not working.
Overcoming setbacks - Allow setbacks to determine what is not working to get you to your goal and find out what will work to get you there.
Setting effective and attainable goals is crucial to create positive changes in our lives. This process involves identifying what we want to achieve and developing a plan of action to make it happen. However, not all goals are equally effective, so following a specific process is important. The subsequent steps will guide us through this process.
I will also have examples of how I work through this process so you can reference this post as you complete the worksheet.
Reflect on the Past Year
Think about various areas of your life during the previous year. Sometimes, reflecting on your goals from last year and where you are achieving them is more accessible. Your priorities change, and you scrap those goals or redirect them.
Some areas of life to think about:
Fitness
Financial
Career
School
Hobbies
Personal
Reflection on accomplishments
No matter how small you may think the accomplishment may seem, it is essential to acknowledge it. You can cross off your goal from last year. You may have partially achieved a dream or a step toward a bigger plan. This will help you think about what worked for you and how to set new goals for the following year.
I will be focusing on my fitness goals for this post.
List and acknowledge achievements: Me
I ran almost 100 miles, calculated in the Nike Run Club app. I recorded some runs on the Apple Workout app, so I am sure I ran over 100 miles this year.
I worked out 165 days of the year, which is 45% of the year (it is Dec 14, the day I am writing this, so the year is not over yet; I still have 15 days left and can achieve 180 days or 50% of the year)
Recognize personal growth: Me
I realized that cycle syncing would be a great way for me to improve my consistency for my goal to work out daily. I tend to feel more lethargic and less motivated, my muscles fatigue faster, and I feel a little weaker overall when I am in my Luteal Phase, the second half of the female menstrual cycle. So, as I track my cycle, I can be mindful of how my body feels and allow myself grace to decrease the volume and intensity of my workouts. Stay tuned for the New Year for my detailed posts regarding cycle synching.
I know I need to allow myself my sweet coffee, and adding protein helps satisfy that need.
I love sweet treats, so allowing myself to have a small portion daily will help decrease my bingeing tendencies if I restrict myself.
I am trying to implement the idea of “eat what you want, but add what you need.” So, like my coffee, adding protein powder and milk instead of coffee creamer most days will still give me a sweet coffee drink and additional protein in my daily diet. Another example is if you like cereal or granola, maybe make it into a yogurt parfait with Greek yogurt and fruit topped with the granola or cereal. Perhaps you want just a bowl of cereal; maybe add protein powder to your milk. Another example is mac n cheese; we have made that our entire meal (homemade mac n cheese with diced chicken), but we have decided to make it a side with grilled chicken and some veggies.
Reflection on challenges
No matter how small the challenge may seem, it is essential to acknowledge it. Acknowledging challenges, setbacks, and obstacles will give you the tools you need to think about to improve upon next year when setting goals.
Let go of the past
Acknowledge why they were challenges, and do what you can do to improve them in the future. Recognize them, but do not dwell on them so you can move forward. This information will allow you to develop a more robust plan to achieve those goals in the coming year.
Identify obstacles and setbacks: Me
This past year, I have continued my on-and-off fitness journey. I only worked out about 50% of the year.
I set my fitness schedule more intensely than I could commit to. It was also more intense than what was necessary for my goals.
My mental health is so much better when I work out daily, whether it is a run or strength training.
I didn’t pay as much attention to my portion sizes or overall nutrition as I’d like. My general eating habits suffered because of this.
If I do not follow my evening routine, I tend to sleep poorly, my mental health suffers, and I may not get up on time. I start my day off slow and less likely to be productive.
Because I did not follow my evening routine, I also did not follow my morning routine either.
Recognize areas for improvement: Me
Working out daily - set an attainable workout schedule that I can follow
Improve overall nutrition - focus on high protein and micronutrients
Follow evening and morning routines to keep up self-care and mental health
improve productivity
I know that my menstrual cycle affects my workouts
I know that I feel better physically and mentally when I eat well.
I know that when I follow my evening and morning routines, I feel better mentally. Which then improves all other areas of my life.
I know that when I am productive, I feel better. When all of the above things are aligned, productivity improves significantly.
My on-and-off fitness journey has not achieved any fitness goals this year. But rather than beating myself up over it, I can improve my consistency this year.
Looking towards the future
This section is an area for a brain dump; list everything you think of in any order. You can use the information from the previous sections to identify areas where you want to set new goals for the new year.
Think about these things as you set your goals:
What are your priorities for next year?
What goals challenged you last year? What can you do to change those goals based on challenges and setbacks to make those and create a new plan?
What other setbacks did you have last year?
Is there anything new you want to work towards this year that you have yet to consider?
Have you been working on a big-picture goal that you broke down into smaller parts? Did you achieve the part you set for last year? If not, How can you accomplish that part this year? If so, what is the next step?
Set goals for the upcoming year: Me
Work out daily, get 10k steps daily - big-picture health goal is to gain muscle and cardiovascular strength. 1
Improve nutrition with a high-protein diet within my calorie goal - big-picture health goal - and be as healthy as possible for longevity. 2
Follow evening and morning routines - big-picture mental health goal, have more positive mental health days than negative. 3
Allow space and time for creativity - big-picture mental health goal, have more positive mental health days than negative 4
Create an action plan and prioritize goals
In this section, you will take the goals from the previous section and create a plan to achieve them. It is crucial to develop a plan so that you can work toward achieving those goals.
Step 1 - Prioritize goals
Write a number next to each item on the list above in order of priority, with the first goal being the biggest and the last being the least.
Step 2 - Remove any low-priority goals
Determine if any goal is not worth working on next year. Sometimes, working toward a few goals at a time is better.
Step 3 - Break goals down into steps
Determine if any goals are big-picture goals and if they can be broken down into smaller steps to make the goal more achievable.
Determine if any goals can be combined as a big-picture goal but are separate steps., in that goal. Focus on the first/next step.
Rewrite goals if desired: Me
• Big-picture goal: Gain muscle and cardiovascular strength
Steps:
- Create a habit: workout daily - 4 days of strength training and 3 days running and walking 10k steps daily
- Reevaluate and assess what to change: Increase workout intensity while keeping the same training schedule
• Big-picture goal: improve overall health - nutrition
Steps:
- Create a habit: track daily caloric intake with MyFitnessPal with high protein and improve micronutrients
- reevaluate and assess what to change
• Big-picture goal: Improve mental health
Steps:
- Create habits: evening and morning routines
- Allow space for creativity
- reevaluate and assess what to change
Step 4 - Create SMART goals
Now that you have prioritized your goals, narrowed them down into smaller steps if applicable, and deleted any that don't feel like a big priority, dive into each one individually.
Create SMART goals to create an action plan to achieve them. Use the Template below to complete this step.
S - Specific - What do you want to achieve? (steps 1-3 should have already helped you narrow down the specificity of your goal)
M - Measurable - Consider how you will measure the progress of achieving this goal.
A - Actionable/Attainable - Is this goal attainable? If not, can you break it down into smaller steps? Steps 1-3 should have helped you determine whether this goal is achievable. Write down where this goal lies within a big-picture goal. (step 1, step 2. etc)
Then, write what actions you need to do to work toward this goal. Think about habit stacking, “When I brush my teeth, I will take my vitamins,” for example, if you want to remember to take vitamins and you already have the habit of brushing your teeth every day.
R - Relevant - Is this goal relevant? Steps 1-3 should have helped you determine whether this goal is relevant. If you are wondering about the relevance of this goal, you can scrap it and move on.
T - Timely - When do you want to achieve this goal? Set a time frame in which you want to achieve this goal. This will give you time to return to this goal, measure your progress, and determine if you need to adjust, scrap the goal, or move on to the next step of a big-picture goal if applicable.
I recommend returning to goals monthly, every other month, or quarterly. Longer may make it harder to achieve your goal. If you think it may take longer than three months, can you break this goal down into smaller steps? If so, start with step 4 with the first part of this goal.
Write down how you want to celebrate this goal when you achieve it. There are so many things that you can do to celebrate these goals. Think about something that is specific to that individual goal and how that can motivate you to work towards that goal. The way you celebrate will be very individualized to you and your interests. Here are some (definitely not all) ideas to celebrate:
Purchase what you want (workout set, kitchen gadget, video game, book, etc.)
Celebrate with a dinner/lunch out with your partner or some friends
Go on a fun adventure
First big-picture goal SMART goal example:
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Step 5 - Create a timeline/schedule for big-picture goals
List out all of the steps needed to achieve your big-picture goals and create a tentative timeline/schedule. Breaking down your goals into smaller steps is important to make the big-picture goal more achievable.
Step 6 - Accountability
Determine how you are going to hold yourself accountable. Think about things that motivate you. Do you need a reminder? Does a partner motivate you? Are you more a visual person?
There are many tips and ways to hold yourself accountable:
Accountability partner - this could be an in-person friend or maybe social media.
Set alarms or calendar events on your phone with motivational messages.
Create a habit tracker.
Think about the thing you wrote on the T area to celebrate your goal.
Step 7 - Celebrate progress and success
It is important to acknowledge success, even if you did not fully achieve your goal. In most cases, you have made progress toward that goal, so it is important to celebrate that.
Step 8 - Adjust goals and steps as needed
Return to your goals to measure progress at the time you determined to achieve those goals in the T section. Review your timeline/schedule from step 5 and make adjustments as needed. It is okay to make adjustments. You can work through this entire worksheet again to make a new plan. Sometimes, strategies do not work for you, and that is okay. Recognize what does work, and what does not work and create a plan based on those things. Repeat Step 4 for the next step/goal.
Stay Committed and Persistent
It is important to recognize that any goal takes discipline. Relying on motivation alone will not be beneficial to achieving any goal. Motivation comes and goes. But what remains when you are dedicated and committed, is the habit of working toward that goal.
Consistency > Motivation
It is okay to fall off track. We are all human, and we all have our own baggage. We all have things that we have to overcome to develop new habits. Remember, it is okay if you struggle. But don’t let that keep you from moving forward. Recognize the setbacks and struggles and move forward. If you are finding it hard to keep on track, remember why you started and refer back to your worksheet.
Things that get me back on track
setting a timeline for my goals - if I leave it open-ended, there isn’t enough sense of urgency to achieve those goals, so setting a timeline helps me stay motivated to keep on track.
Creating a reward for achieving that goal - Buying something I have my eye on will help my overall financial goals (to get out of debt and accumulate an emergency fund) and give me an incentive to reach this goal.
Remember why I started in the first place - what my big-picture goals are - gaining muscle and improving my overall health.
Bottom Line
Setting New Year’s goals is very common for a lot of people. But if you do not think about how to achieve those goals, it can be difficult to keep on track with them. After reflecting on the previous year with accomplishments and achievements, challenges and setbacks, and thinking about what you want to achieve in the future, you can prioritize your goals to create SMART goals that are specific, measurable, actionable, and time-bound.
Download my free goal-setting worksheet below and follow this post to see my examples of how I work through each step for my fitness goals in 2024.
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“Do something today that your future self will thank you for”
— unknown
I find that quote so inspiring. Hard work will pay off in the future, but you also have to live in the moment, and I feel like taking care of yourself is doing both. You are doing good for yourself now as well as for your future self.
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