2022 Resolutions gone bad and how to catch up before it’s too late

We’ve all been through this: On January 1st, we compile a list of new year resolutions that would transform our life. A couple of weeks later, the list ends up in the drawer and is probably revisited on January 1st of the next year.

Are you still working on reaching your new year’s resolutions? I’m going to give you a practical step-by-step guide to catch up.

Let’s start with an example. Here’s a typical new year resolution list that we will improve:?

In 2022, I will:

-?Lose weight

-?Improve my leadership skills

-?Learn Spanish

Step 1: Change your resolutions to SMART Goals

These resolutions are so vague that we don’t know where to start.

What is my current weight? Where do I want to go? If I lose 1 kg, can I check off my first resolution?

SMART goals enable us to change our mindset about resolutions and to keep working on them until we achieve them.

SMART is an acronym that stands for 5 essential criteria to keep in mind when writing down your goals.

S – Specific

Refrain from having vague goals. Your goals should be as detailed as possible.

You want to improve your leadership skills? Great! Which ones?

Communication? Public Speaking? Team Building? Negotiation? Be Specific!

Let’s say you picked Public Speaking. Great! Be even more specific. Do you want to be a better public speaker in virtual events or physical events? Or do you want to be a YouTuber? Is your goal to get better at speaking in front of your class of 30 students or in a graduation ceremony with 5,000+ attendees?

Keep asking yourself more questions until the goal is crystal clear.

M – Measurable

This is an easy fix when your resolution is about losing weight. You simply need to add how many kilograms or pounds you want to lose.

However, if a resolution is difficult to measure like improving your leadership skills, you have to make it measurable. Take a video of yourself every week giving the same speech. It doesn’t have to be long; a couple of minutes are enough. As you learn and practice new public speaking skills, you will improve. When you look back at your first videos and then watch a recent video in March or April, you will see your improvement.

A – Achievable

I am not saying you should go easy on yourself and set tiny goals. However, at the beginning of a new year, we are often too excited to transform our life that we tend to set for ourselves unrealistic goals. Soon enough, we find ourselves frustrated and unmotivated because the progress towards our immense goal is way too slow.

Instead, you can break down a resolution into monthly goals. After the first month, you measure your progress and evaluate if this was realistic, too easy, or unachievable. Then, you adjust your resolution accordingly.

R – Relevant

Your goals must be relevant to YOU! Ask yourself why do you want to reach that goal? Does this goal really matter to you? Are you doing it to boost your self-confidence or to please others? The goals or resolutions that are driven by a strong purpose have a chance to last.

T – Time-bound

Give yourself a deadline. If it’s difficult to estimate how long it would take you to achieve your goals, set deadlines for the intermediate goals that you will reach along the way. These quick wins will help you keep your momentum and build your motivation.?

Step 2: Turn your goals into an action plan

In the first step, we answered the question “Where do I want to be in a year?”

Now, the question is “What exactly should I do to get there?”

Brainstorm potential action items that, if you do them, will get you one step closer to your goals.

If your goal is to lose 10 kgs by end of year, then here are potential actions that you can take to get there:

• Cardio workout 3 times per week
• Drink 2 liters of water per day (yes, drinking water will help you lose weight, but this is a story for another time)
• Include 5 fruits and vegetables in your daily diet
• Ask a professional for a plan (you might need the advice of a professional trainer or a nutritionist to achieve your goal in a healthy and effective way)

This is not the perfect recipe to lose weight. These are just ideas to help you brainstorm what works for you. If you hate going to the gym, don’t go! If you get bored with online classes, don’t take them! Create a plan that you will enjoy doing. You can replace the gym with hip hop dance classes or a beach run for example.

Step 3: Break down your action plan into weekly to-do lists

When your deadline is in a year, you might start thinking that you have plenty of time to achieve your goal. Soon enough, it’s December again, you realize you’re not even close to your goals, and you start hustling to get at least one goal checked off your list.

To avoid these mind games, have a weekly to-do list. When you only have one week to get things done, the sense of urgency kicks in and you will get to work.

Step 4: Evaluate yourself every week

Since your goals are now measurable, you can now evaluate your progress. I urge you to build the habit to evaluate yourself every week, celebrate your quick wins, and pinpoint the items on your to-do list that you are dragging from a week to another.

As you do this, you build a momentum to keep moving forward. You don’t wait until December to evaluate where you stand on your resolutions. You take baby steps every week and you will see the huge difference 52 weeks later.

Reach out!

There are numerous ways to ensure you follow through on your resolutions and you achieve your goals.

The purpose of this article is to get you started. We’re here to listen to you and support you.

Share with us your experience!

Do you have another system that works for you? Share with us your tips so that we can try them out.

Did you try the 4 steps mentioned above? Tell us all about your progress. If you are blocked at any step and you need tailored advice, do reach out.

Together, we can make 2022 a year of transformation and success!