New Year: Out with Resolutions, In with Goals

With a new year comes the feeling of a clean slate, a new beginning.  I’ve never been one to make new year’s resolutions—I’d never quite understood why a resolution should begin on January 1st and not just whenever a person currently is.  Also, it always seemed to me that resolutions are quickly broken and abandoned.


As a general rule, when it comes to making positive changes, why wait?  There is no better time to start than now, but as I get older I realize that the new year is a great time to set goals.  Perhaps it’s because I now live in a world of fiscal years, tax-returns, quarterly profit and loss reports, and family birthdays that seem to zoom right before my eyes.

Goal setting doesn’t have to be anything daunting or even “big deal” goals!  Small changes and victories make huge successes! There are several areas in which to set annual goals.  Remember to set tangible and attainable goals.  One reason many people “give up” on resolutions is that the resolutions set are very ambiguous and immeasurable.

Many of us set goals that sound/look like this:

• Be more patient
• Travel more
• Take time for myself
•  Lose weight
• Work out
• Read more

It’s not that these are “bad” goals, but they are very subjective and do not set a specific goal that could be checked off after completion.  This can lead to the feeling that we should just give up.

Here is a better structure and sample for goal setting:

• Personal/Skills
• What would you like to learn this year?
• Are there areas you’d like to grow in academically?
•  Become a better writer
•  Read a book on APA writing style
• Learn a foreign language
• Check out library books/audio disks that teach basic conversational Spanish
• Lose weight/workout
• Work out for 20 minutes 3 times a week
• Quit eating potato chips
• Quit eating after 9pm
• Learn a new craft
• Learn to use a sewing machine
• Practice guitar weekly
• Business/Finance
• Work x hours a week—Don’t be a workaholic!
• Cut monthly spending expenses by 5% by meal prepping and eating out less
• Grow business by 10% in the new year
• Pay off one specific credit card
• Family
• Set a few hours of a day as “unplugged time”
• Play a family board game once a month
• Eat dinner as a family around the table
• Take a 3 day local vacation as a family this year
• Spiritual/Church
• Read the Bible
• Read the four Gospels
• Read the Pauline Epistles
• Serve at local shelter once a quarter
• Assist Sunday school once a quarter
• Home
• Make my bed every morning
• Clean out junk closet
• Donate one box of items per week until the closet is manageable
• Re-box remaining items and organize them in a way that makes sense
• Ask “does this item add value to my life?”
• Meal prep lunches
• Sort through mail weekly and avoid keeping junk mail
• Paint rooms

These goals could now be written into your planner to assist in keeping track of goals!

This was just an example of how goal setting could look, hopefully it will help you consider your own goals!

Happy New Year—Make it amazing!

Here are some other posts you may like:
New Year, New Beginnings: Pointillism Artwork
Creating an Educational Philosophy: Free Printables
What Does Your Baby Really Need? Registry Tips from a Large Family Mom