New Year's Goals

"I have a strong psychic belief that the world will end on New Year's Eve"

(Ghostbusters II; 1989)                  

I wonder how many of us failed in your last year’s resolutions?  Well, I did for sure. It turns out that it does not take much to make them more likely to achieve next year. Most of us probably compose the goals the wrong way and that’s why we forget about them by the end of January. In today’s tutorial I want to show you how to make our goals more achievable using paper, scissors and a little bit of modern psychology, the basics of which I had a chance to learn during my university courses. Scientific texts quoted here come from the book "Improving interpersonal skills" written by Hanna Dolna, who is the coach at interpersonal training at my uni, during which, I learned how to properly formulate goals, and not just business ones.

difficulty: depends on your goals and self-discipline

estimated time: whole year

You need:

• small paper cards in your favourite colors
• one bigger sheet of paper (A4 or A3)
• colorful pens
• a clip frame
• decorative elements

Tutorial steps:

1. Write your goals on the small cards, in accordance with the rules described below.

2. Decorate the bigger sheet of paper and put the cards on it in chronological order. Don’t glue them, just let the frame hold them in place.

3. Put it in the frame and hang within sight. Every time you achieve your goal completely, remove the right card from the frame – this way you can see your progress and you’ll be more motivated to action. Plus, the construction allows you to use it and update your goals every year. Good luck!

Goal Principles

on the basis of the book "Doskonalenie umiejętności interpersonalnych", Hanna Dolna, Wyd. Naukowe UMK, Toruń 2010

1) Use positive language, present tense and finite verbs - determine what do you want to accomplish, not what you want to avoid, use present tenses (example: “I sign up for a language course”, but not “I will sign up…”) and finite verbs (example: “I find", not “I’m looking for”); 

2) Be specific, determine the indicators of achieving the goal- don’t use generalities, it will be harder to determine if you achieved the goal (example: “I jog more” – what does it mean “more”? be specific – “In January I am jogging at least once a week”)

3) Divide your goals - split the bigger, long-term goals to smaller and short-term ones (example: “I lose 15 pounds in 2014” split to “I lose 3 pounds by the end of April”, “I lose next 3 pounds by the end of August” etc.);

4)  Make the goals depend on your actions, not someone else’s - the more the goal depends on you, the more likely you’ll achieve it (example: “I’m getting a raise” – it depends on your boss” decision, but “I increase my income by finding a part-time job” – depends on you);

5)  Write down your goals and determine the dates of their realization - describe the goal, its conditions, effects, people involved, everything that’s important (example: “I improve my relationship with my old friend by going for a walk with him next weekend”)

6) Check your resources - knowing your resources (abilities, skills, knowledge) it’ll be easier to reach your goal; you’ll know what you need to achieve it, whether or not you need someone’s help;

7) Be systematic  - every time it’s possible, do something for your goal.

YOUR GOAL SHOULD BE SMART:

S - specific (What do you want to accomplish? Why do you want it? Who is involved?)

M - measurable (How will I know when it is accomplished?)

A - achievable (Is this goal realistic? Have you got skills to reach it?)

R - relevant (Does this seem worthwhile? Does this match your efforts/needs?)

T - time-bound (When will it be accomplished? What can you do today?)

And remember – don’t make all of your goals lofty and ponderous. Don’t be afraid to include more trivial and simple goals, too. They’ll be reached in no time for sure and they’ll be a good start before achieving those serious ones :)

Downloadables:
- Printable version (pdf)

In the next tutorial: Cup Pads