Here we are at the end of another year.

How did those New Year’s resolutions you made last January 1st work out?

Oh, yeah . . . THOSE resolutions!  Were those the ones you forgot on January 7th, or maybe even on January 2nd?

In the past, I’ve tried making New Year’s resolutions, but they never seem to last.  That’s because it’s something we just think about at the beginning of a new year, and then we forget about them — usually until we get to the end of the year.  Then we make a new set of resolutions that are quickly forgotten.

For me, what works much better than New Year’s resolutions is goal setting and planning.

Set Your Goals

You’ll hear lots of different ways to set goals.  Some ways are more complicated and time-consuming than others.  Try a few different methods and use what works best for you.  There really is no right way or wrong way.

I opt for less complicated methods.  What works best for me, is first to think about the categories in which I want to accomplish something — health, fitness, business, financial, family, and so on.  Then, within those categories, I think about a specific goal.

Let’s take the Fitness category as an example.

I can’t just say, “I want to be more fit by the end of the year.”  I need to define exactly what being “more fit” means to me.  For instance my goal could be, “To lose 20 pounds.”

The next step is to put a deadline on that goal:  “To lose 20 pounds by June 30th.”

Now I have a specific goal with a deadline.

But we’re not done yet.

Make A Plan

It’s important after you set your goal to make a plan for how you’re going to accomplish it.  In the example above, the plan might include getting 30 minutes of exercise at least five days a week.

Once you have the list of things you need to do to reach your goal, be sure to put them into your daily, weekly and monthly plans.

If you’re not planning your days, this is the time to start doing that.  A good way to do that is to spend a couple of minutes at the end of each day planning what you’ll do tomorrow.  Take a look at your list of goals and include in your daily plan the things you need to be doing to move yourself forward.

At the end of each week, review what you’ve accomplished that week and plan the coming week.  Do the same thing at the end of each month.  You’ll find that as the year progresses you’re getting more done than you ever expected and you’re making progress and accomplishing your goals.

To your happiness!