HOW TO SET REALISTIC GOALS!

FORGET GRAND NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS, TRY THESE ACHIEVABLE LONG-TERM PLANS

We all do it. Every year when the calendar flips over to a fresh start we tell ourselves we will make positive changes. We might even tell our friends at New Year’s Eve parties how committed we are to these new causes. But studies have shown that around 80 per cent of these resolutions fail. Why? We aim too high or make vague promises to ‘get fit’ or ‘stop worrying about stuff ’. Here’s how to set realistic goals that we can actually achieve.

BE SPECIFIC

If we make our goal specific, there’s more chance that we will follow through on it. Research published in the journal, Motivation and Emotion, found that targeted personal goals are associated with higher levels of task performance. So, for example, instead of a resolution to ‘exercise more’, set a goal to do a fitness or yoga class a week, write it in your diary for a certain time, set an alert and you’re more likely to commit.

ONE GOAL AT A TIME

According to research, one of the greatest barriers to achieving your goals is the other focuses you have in your life. According to James Clear, author of Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones, whenever you chase a new goal, you have to pull focus and energy from your other pursuits.

“One of the fastest ways to make progress on your goals is to simply press pause on less important things and focus on one goal at a time,” James writes. “Sometimes you just need to reorganise your priorities a little bit and suddenly progress comes much more quickly because you are now fully committed to a goal that was only getting moderate attention previously.”