With every new resolution that we make, comes a sense of motivation, clarity, and purposefulness. At least in the beginning. But what makes us persevere and see through our resolutions when we cannot find the motivation and energy, when the goal turns out not so simple, or we just get stirred up in the whirlpool of everyday work-life balance?
There is a Bulgarian saying that goes like this: “What is written, remains.” Writing down your thoughts, to-do lists, ideas, plans, etc. that come to your mind is a very powerful, and very underrated tool. If I were to ask you to calculate 8 times 579 without the help of a calculator, you would probably take a piece of paper and work it out in writing. I would do the same.
So, if we would write down a simple multiplication problem, why do we not write down our life goals, that are dependent on various factors, time management, work, relationships, and that is just to name a few.
If by now you find yourself sat down, with a pen and a piece of paper, by your side, you are ready for the next step. What exactly do we write down?
A common new-year’s resolution is to take up going to the gym. Billy, who works at a desk for 40 hours a week, decides that he wants to be fit. So, Billy starts going to the gym 5 times a week for a full hour. He plans to keep doing this until he is fit. And he does… for a week or two. Then Billy realises how exhausting five workouts per week are. He decreases the number of workouts and continues going to the gym, but by February, Billy feels like he has not gotten closer to his goal. Not even a little bit. At this threshold, most people give up. At 30 days – the amount of time needed to form a new habit.
What the person in this example lacked was not willpower, or energy, or even time – they lacked a smart plan. And the first thing that a smart plan has is a S.M.A.R.T. goal – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.
Step #1: Being specific.
Billy wants to be fit and this is an amazing aspiration. However, “being fit” is a vaguely put goal. Specifying his desired fitness level as being able to run 10 kilometres is clear and concise. And leads us to the next step.
Step #2: Measuring progress.
Being able to measure the progress towards your goals is important and tells you if you are headed in the right direction. If Billy cannot run 10 kilometres, after a year of exercise – he definitely must revise his training plan. Once he accomplishes this result, he can continue setting measurable goals, such as running 10km for an hour, or he can increase the distance, or decrease the expected time, etc.
Step #3: Being realistic.
It is not reasonable for Billy to expect to be able to run 50, or even 10 kilometres, after being physically inactive for most of the time. A reasonable and attainable goal is based on our current abilities and condition. The first goal must be fairly easy to reach. All consecutive goals can be set a bit higher.
Billy was not realistic when he planned his approach to the goal - to work out five times per week. What is realistic in this example is going to the gym two times per week. Enough to make progress, not too much that it becomes exhausting. Being realistic in his goal also means that for the first one to three months Billy expects from himself to run 2-3 laps of 500 metres with rests in-between.
Step #4: Relevance.
People can achieve fitness through various methods – running, yoga, hiking, weightlifting, martial arts, sports, etc. Billy must choose the most suitable way for himself to become fit.
Step #5: A dream with a deadline becomes a goal.
The mind is a powerful tool that can solve complex problems. However, it needs to be pointed towards a problem with clear definitions to be most effective. This is why we try to understand the problem, before we go for a solution. It needs to put the problem into a “frame”.
Time can serve as this frame within which our brain operates. Having a deadline tells the brain to concentrate all its resources for a predetermined, limited amount of time. Otherwise, it will be less productive in the long run.
What are your new-year's resolutions for 2024? Are they specific enough? Is there a better approach? Or maybe your goals are already S.M.A.R.T. enough? Share your progress with me!