As 2015 begins, it’s time to stop and reflect on the past year. What goals did you meet or miss entirely? What went well? What could have gone better? These are some common questions we ask ourselves as we ring in the new year. With reflection comes the tradition of setting New Year’s resolutions or some other form of goals. Usually, these goals are lost or forgotten about within the first or second month of the year, but with a little bit of thinking ahead, you can successfully create and keep your New Year’s goals.
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Use an app. With the accessibility of smart phones, almost everyone has access to hundreds upon hundreds of apps, with new ones coming out everyday. To go the basic route, there are goal tracking apps that can allow you to monitor and track your progress, as well as acting as a reminder system for you. In some cases, there are apps for specific goals- particularly those pertaining to fitness and academics.
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Use the buddy system. As you create your personal goals for the new year, find a friend with similar goals. Use each other to bounce ideas of one another and to keep each other on track. Call or email each other once a day or once a week, exchanging your progress with each other. You will be more motivated to work towards your goal each day if you have someone to report to. If there is no one currently in your life whom you feel you can be buddies in this way with, head online. There are plenty of forums and websites where people with similar goals to yours congregate to talk and exchange ideas.
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As you set your goals, set short term goals. Short term goals are easier and more reasonably achieved. They are also far less likely to be forgotten about or given up on. If you have a long term goal you really wish to work on, break it down into smaller and more manageable sections. Treat each of these as short term goals to be obtained one by one, working up to your main goal.
- Prioritize. It is incredibly important to make time for your goals. If it is something you want to achieve, then it is important to find time in your life to work toward it. There is no such thing as not having enough time to work on a goal. Instead, it is a matter of deciding what is and isn’t important. You may have to remove time spent browsing online or watching Netflix to find the time necessary to meet your goals. Good luck! You can do it!