We all have them, promises to ourselves every year that we are going to forgo all bad habits and automatically become a better version of ourselves when we snap our fingers. Promises that we will absolutely never look at junk food again (sure), or that getting up at 5 am just to go running is going to be like second nature. I’m sure you know how New Year’s brings up the cliché that you somehow you have to change your life for the better every single day without any rest.
Yeah, let’s put that aside.
It never truly works the way you envision it. Your first day of the new year should not be you being damned to climb Mt. Everest by tomorrow. All respect to you, but you’re going to burn out quicker than you will say “maybe next year.” Trust me I’m not shaming you, I’ve been there. I was one of those people who swore that I was going to wake up every morning on the weekend for a jog to stay in shape, and yadda, yadda, yadda. First day in to the new goal and I slept soundly until lunch. It’s definitely okay to not nail down the perfectly written out goal that you bought a new planner for. That’s what breaking down the goal is all about.
The Breakdown
Throw out the huge unattainable goals out the window and change them to smaller, SMART goals. Are the goals Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time based? Smaller goals based on the SMART method are more reasonable than striving for the largest goal humanely possible. There was even a study that focused on the effectiveness of writing down goals and sticking with them. If you want to start running more you don’t have to run a marathon the first month of the new year to feel successful. But if you already did, I salute you and I want to know your secret. Really.
Matthews, https://www.dominican.edu/dominicannews/study-highlights-strategies-for-achieving-goals
“My study provides empirical evidence for the effectiveness of three coaching tools: accountability, commitment, and writing down one’s goals,” Matthews said.
You probably already know that large goals with no plans don’t go anywhere and it’s definitely a no brainer either. Sometimes people put unrealistic expectations on themselves that leads to more disappointment than anything. And, when you start setting really large unrealistic goals you get so frustrated that you forgo the goal altogether, and that doesn’t help.
Building up momentum is key, and you don’t want to lose it because you set yourself up for failure. Setting small chunks of a goal may seem unproductive but in the long run it leads to higher chances of success. Alas if you still feel stuck on what small goal may be best for you think of something that you hold close to your heart and you absolutely want to achieve with no setbacks.
The Trick
If you do want to run a marathon set weekly goals of running at least 5-10 minutes day, or every other day or once a week. Whatever works for your schedule, or motivation level, I definitely understand. And of course, write down your goals and track them.
There are certain steps that you should go by.
- Focus on one goal that you want to achieve
- Follow the SMART guidelines for goals
- Specific: How specific is the breakdown of the goal?
- Measurable: How will you know the goal was achieved or not?
- Attainable: How likely are you to accomplish this goal?
- Relevant: Does it make a difference to you if this goal is met?
- Time-based: When does this need to be completed by?
- Break it down into smaller goals, around 3-5.
- Keep committed by checking in regularly (this is what planners are for!) or have someone hold you accountable.
- Reward yourself for every action taken.
Let’s use my previous mentioned goal for example. I want to run every weekend to get fit and in shape and develop a new healthy habit.
- My focus: Running every weekend to get in shape for a marathon.
- SMART Guidelines
- Specific: I will run every weekend
- Measurable: I will take progress photos, time myself and record all findings.
- Attainable: If I manage to get up early in the morning I will achieve it every weekend, but I will go to bed early on Friday
- Relevant: This small goal will help me with my large goal of running a marathon.
- Time- based: This has to be completed by the middle of next month.
- Smaller goals:
- Go to bed early on Friday
- Get ready for running in the morning by setting out an outfit
- Run for at least 15 minutes and gradually increase it every week
- Accountability: Marked it in my calendar
- Reward: I will sleep in on Sunday if I do this every Saturday.
I will admit setting goals can seem scary, but just think how rewarding it will feel when you cross something off your check list or when you cross the finish line. Starting is the hardest part, but knowing now how you can break down your large goals into small achievable ones will definitely be the factor of achieving everything you set your mind to.
