Happy New Year! With the new year comes the symbolism of a fresh start, and I’m sure we could all use one. With one week of 2021 already gone, you may start to see setbacks with those New Year’s resolutions we all try to keep. The worst thing we can do is get discouraged and quit altogether. Having the right mindset, attainable goals, and holding yourself accountable can make a major difference in making your resolutions into goals and into reality. Consider adding some of these tactics to your daily routines and when setting goals.
Take the most common New Year’s resolutions and break them down, these may be your goals, or yours may be much different, but each of these tactics can be attributed to these goals.
- Get in shape
- Eat healthier
- Get organized
- Learn a new skill or hobby
- Save more money / spend less money
- Quit smoking (or any other bad habit)
- Spend more time with loved ones
- Travel more
- Read more
- Be more active
Mentally Prepare – Changing ingrained habits can be difficult, but possible, so before you start it is important to mentally prepare yourself for a change or shift in your lifestyle or routine. Get your mind set ready to crush your goals by taking out all the negative and adding in positive thoughts and affirmations.
Be Realistic & Specific – Try to make goals that you can obtain, say lose 10 lbs., save more money, not lose 10 lbs. in a week or win the lottery. Try being specific about those goals with action plans, setting weekly goals and schedules. This means adding salads for lunch every day to be healthier, or not going to Starbucks each morning to save money. These small actions and specific goals will help you become closer to your goal.
Break Goals Up – Some of us can be over ambitious and eager when it comes to crushing those goals. Not that large goals are wrong, but sometimes they can become overbearing and hard to achieve. Take your larger goals and break them into smaller milestones, this will help you have small victories as you head for the larger ones, making each step a success.
Journaling – Writing down your goals is a fantastic way to keep yourself accountable. Another way is to journal every morning or every night to set daily goals, write down your emotions, feeling or gratitude. Keep this journal at your work desk or bedside table so you always remember to take the time to write things down and reflect on what is working and what might not be.
Vision Board – Creating a visual representation of your goals can help you achieve them. Typically, this consists of a posterboard with images and text that symbolize your goals. Having these images in plain view can help motivate you and can be a fun arts and crafts project.
Create A Timeline – To be able to measure your goals is just as important as making them. Whether you are making these changes permanently or within a timeframe, setting a timeline is a great way to knockdown milestones and have an endpoint in sight. Try creating short term timelines, such as an end of the week, end of the month, then stretch out for longer ones, within the next six months, for the entire year! This will help you crush your goals and give yourself a high-five when you hit that timeline.
Share with Other – One of the easiest ways to hold yourself accountable is by telling others of your goals or resolutions, that way it is harder to back down. This can also help if there are others with similar goals, giving you a support group to help you stay motivated.
Do not Get Discouraged – When we do not hit our goals sometimes, we can beat ourselves up for “failing,” but that does not mean we should give up. Everyone has difficulties and makes mistakes, all that means if you can have another fresh start and try again.
We are happy to help with your Home Organization goals! Check out our Organization Section for practical organization options!
