Successful Goal Setting

Typically people make resolutions and set goals at this time of year. And usually within a couple of months most people feel that they have not come close to meeting their goals or feel that they have failed miserably. Why this low success rate? We are so full of promise and expectation in January, how come we can’t follow through?
First I believe that people make their goals resolutions too general, such as: LOSE WEIGHT, SAVE MONEY, BECOME MORE ORGANIZED, GET HEALTHY, ADVANCE CAREER, IMPROVE RELATIONSHIPS. These are all admirable goals but if you just write them on an index card tacked to your bulletin board probably not a lot of success is going to happen. These goals need to be broken down into baby steps.
And secondly, people don’t plan to fail—they fail to plan. You need to schedule the baby steps, otherwise known as the action steps into your day planner, calendar or electronic calendar.

Let’s look at that perennial favorite goal: LOSE WEIGHT. I can certainly identify with this one. Here are some “action steps”—that should probably be written down and scheduled:
• Get rid of high calorie junk food
• Stock up on high fiber, heart healthy snacks and food
• Portion out all snack foods into individual containers and/or baggies
• Server smaller portions
• Make food in advance
• Drink more water instead of soda and juice
• Double the size of the veggies on your plate and slightly decrease the size of protein and carbs
• Don’t skip breakfast
• Substitute extra virgin olive oil for butter
• Put gym bag in the car so it’s convenient to go to the health club
• Write down which days to go to the health club and stick to it
• Find buddy to work out with to stay motivated
Here’s another example, SAVE MONEY—action steps:
• Open up an ING DIRECT savings account
• Choose a day of the month to deposit money into that account
• Make your own coffee instead of stopping at Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks everyday
• If you need something, see if you can buy it used instead (e.g., craigslist, ebay, consignment stores).
• If you go shopping, stick to your list or necessary item. When looking at all the “sale signs”—repeat this mantra “I really do not need anything else at this time.”
• Create a budget sheet in Excel with all your expenses and all your income—then see where all your money goes. Could some of it go into your savings account?
And one more: BE MORE ORGANIZED-here are some suggestions for action steps:
• Buy and use a day planner
• Set out clothes and make lunch the night before work
• Do 15-30 minutes of tidying up everyday
• Set up file systems
• Put everything away in its “home”
• Pare down excess--it's easier to be organized with less stuff
• Start by scheduling small projects, eg: clean out junk drawer
• Work with a professional organizer to tackle bigger projects

These are just some suggestions on how to set up realistic goals. You can add to these and come up with your own action steps. You should also try to find ways in which to measure the success of your goals. (Weighing yourself at least once a week; checking in on your account balance; scheduling a checkup with your doctor to see if your medical stats have improved.)
Another way to ensure the success of your goals being met is to sit down on Sunday night and write down all the action steps (pertaining to the various goals) for the week on index cards. Display them prominently and schedule them into your week via your day planner or calendar. Before you know it, you’ll see small measures of improvement which, of course, will add up to successful goals in the long run. Good luck and good planning.