Monday 14 January 2019

Make Your New Year’s Resolutions the SMART Way


Even though there are a good amount of things on this list you can start working on, I’m sure you have other goals and resolutions you’d like to make for the new semester. Everyone does.

However, most people will just make them and then immediately fail. I see it every year – I go to the school gym like always, and Januaries always put me off. Droves and droves of resolution-making wannabes curling in the squat rack and generally making a mess of things. In a couple of weeks, they’re all gone.

Don’t be like them. For one, don’t curl in the squat rack (I will hurt you), and two, don’t make vague resolutions that you won’t keep. Make SMART goals:

S – specific – don’t say, “I want to get healthier”. Pick a goal – a real goal. Something with specific reasons, requirements, and constraints. Specify a benefit.
M – measurable – be able to measure your performance. A goal like, “I want to run a 5K in under 30 minutes” is great – you will know exactly when you’ve achieved it, and you have something to work towards. Something visible.
A – attainable – make your goal something you can attain in the near future. If you can’t even bench 100 pounds right now, don’t make it your goal to bench 225 right away. Shoot for 135, make it, and then raise the bar.
R – relevant – is this goal relevant to your life? It needs to really matter. A goal that doesn’t really matter to your life’s path isn’t going to be fulfilled – you just won’t be able to keep motivation.
T – time-bound – you need to set a time boundary for when this goal will be accomplished, so you are motivated to practice. The Alarm Trigger isn’t made-up; deadlines drive our performance.
If you’d like, you can read more about SMART goals. Whatever you do, just make some.

Thanks for reading my list of ways to start the next semester off right. If you’ve already made some goals of your own, share them in the comments below – maybe you’ll inspire someone else! Also, share this post with anyone who could use a boost to make next year even better than this one.

Thomas Frank

[Thomas Frank is the founder of College Info Geek. His email inbox is full of messages from buttloads of gangs that want him to join because he's pretty good with a bowstaff. Find out more at his author page.]

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