I read a shocking statistic that only 8% of Americans keep their New Year’s resolutions! Rather than setting a hard and fast resolution of pass or fail, how about we set goals? Goals that require small, achievable resolutions along the way meeting our goal. Let’s learn how to set goals for the New Year in tangible, measurable ways.
How to Set Goals for the New Year
Brainstorm
The first thing for goal setting might be obvious: brainstorm.
By brainstorming and writing down all the ways you would like to better yourself in the New Year you don’t have to feel like you forgot something.
Do this brain dump over the course of several days. Keep your list handy so you can add to it while standing in line, waiting on your kids or pumping gas in your car.
Different settings will give inspiration and insight into various areas of your life.
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Categorize
After a couple days of gathering goal possibilities, organize all your ideas into categories.
Common categories would be physical, financial or relational. It’s okay if you don’t have a ton of different categories.
Once your goals are grouped, see which category is the most popular. Choose one goal from that category to be your main goal for the year.
Go ahead and choose several other goals if you want and make those secondary goals.
Get access to your free printable Goal worksheets here!
Analyze Goals for the New Year
Now that you have picked one main goal to focus on, it’s time to pick it apart.
- What is my goal? Is this truly one goal or is it lumping multiple goals together?
2. How can I measure it? Goals can’t just be flung out and expected to be achieved. Having a way to measure the success of a goal will help you understand the next step to achieving that goal.
3. What will prove to me it is accomplished? What tangible number, visual or result will be the proof of success?
4. What must I give up? Is there something you will have to give up or cut back on in order to make room for your new goal? Lay that out so you won’t be caught off-guard by it.
Sometimes you can’t answer numbers two and three from above. Usually in relational goals you will have to set your main New Year’s goal and then lay out your plan of action.
For example: By having lunch or coffee with a different friend at least once a month will be the only way to measure a relational goal.
How to Accomplish Your Goal for the New Year
In order to stay focused on your goal, you are going to have to break it down into 
quarterly, monthly, and even weekly tasks that will get you one step closer.
Can you foresee events that might trip you up? Plan ahead for them! Simple things like:
- Packing a healthy snack in your purse for a birthday party to help reach your weight goal.
- Budgeting all 12 months for Christmas so that you aren’t caught off guard on Black Friday.
- Have a card with your name and number so you can easily hand it to a new acquaintance.
By setting yourself up to win these little hurdles you get one step closer to your New Year’s goal.
Grab a Planner or Calendar
After you’ve used my free worksheets to work out possible action plans for achieving your goal, get yourself a planner
In each week, write out what actionable steps you can take to help you reach your bigger goal. Write down smaller goals that you should be mastering at that point in order to stay on target with your big goal.
Use it for your daily life so that you look at it frequently. But also, write in your weekly tasks for accomplishing your New Year’s goal. Write in your monthly tasks and goals for staying on track for the year. And even write in quarterly goals.
Be sure to include birthday parties or holidays. By anticipating these events you can set goals for decision making ahead of time:
- Who are you going to talk to?
- What are you going to eat? Not eat? How much?
- What are you going to budget for a gift?
This military quote is quite relevant in goal setting:
Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance
Now that you have an action plan all laid out for your New Year’s goal, make this year your best year yet!
