I think we can all agree that this past year was a bit of a doozy. But we made it! In just a few short days it will be the first day of 2021. Phew! I personally like the excitement of a new year. The start of a new year is a great time to motivate yourself to make and stick to new year’s resolutions
I actually like setting new year’s resolutions. I’m not talking about resolutions like “I’m going to lose 10lbs” or “I’m cutting out junk food” or any other non-exciting crap. I like setting resolutions, or goals, that get me looking forward to trying new things or improving my quality of life.
The start of a new year is the perfect starting line for gearing up to work towards new goals. And in case you didn’t know physical therapists spend a lot of time setting goals. A. Lot.
For numerous reasons every single person treated by a physical therapist has both long term and short term goals that are set after the very first session. These goals help guide what we are doing, ensures that what we are working towards is purposeful, and help us measure progress.
These are the exact same reasons setting specific goals is so important for you. Goal setting can seem cheesy, or very fitness-coach esc, or even daunting. But setting goals, or new years resolutions, is a way to keep you moving forward, looking ahead, and growing as a person. Setting goals helps improve motivation, life-style habits, self efficacy, and can even help with life satisfaction and happiness .
The Right Way to Set Goals
The best way to set goals is to make them SMART goals. No, not highly intelligent goals. S.M.A.R.T. Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. The idea of SMART goals was developed George Doran, Arthur Miller and James Cunninghamin their 1981 article “There’s a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management goals and objectives”.
And while the idea behind these goals may have initially been from a business standpoint this goal writing technique is applicable across the board. This is how all PTs write goals. So let’s quick elaborate on each component of a SMART goal to help make your goals for 2021 the best ever.
The Components of a SMART Goal
S – Specific:
Specificity answers all the “W” questions including the who, the what, the why, the when, and the where (as applicable). When writing your goals decide:
- Who is involved in the goal?
- What exactly do you want to accomplish?
- Where will this take place (if applicable)?
- When will you work on this goal?
And most importantly why? The why is arguably my favorite part of goal writing. What exactly are you trying to accomplish and why is it important to you? The more specific you can get the better.
M- Measurable:
Measurability makes a goal more specific and less vague. You need to determine how you will measure your goal. This answers the questions of how much or how many? This allows you to know if you have actually met or are making progress towards your goal.
A- Attainable:
Attainable means evaluating if you already have the skills or tools necessary to achieve the goal. Or perhaps there are additional skills or resources you may still need in order to meet your desired goal. Attainable means it needs to be achievable.
R- Relevant:
Relevant means ensuring the goal is important to you. Does it make you excited? Does it fit into your current life? Is it something worth your time, effort, and energy? The goal should be something relevant to you and your life at this time.
T-Timely:
Timely means that your goal has an end date. You need a definitive time frame for which you will work to achieve this goal. Will it happen in one months? Two months? Six months? Or will it take the whole year? Having a deadline can help you stay focused and also prevent burn-out.
My New Year’s Resolutions
I decided to set 5 different types of goals, or new year’s resolutions, for 2021. My 5 different types of goals include a nutritional goal, a fitness goal, a financial goal, a relationship goal, and a professional goal. Below are my basic resolutions.
Nutritional Goal: Drink more tea, and less wine
Fitness Goal: Do a yoga headstand
Financial Goal: Become a more savvy grocery shopper by using coupons and shopping weekly deals
Relationship Goal: Spend more quality time with my husband (not watching T.V.)
Professional Goal: Become more educated and specialized in pre/postpartum patients and women’s health
These resolutions are specific within each goal category. I advise against goals like “I want to lose weight”, “I want to become more fit”, or “I want to save more money”. Blarg!!! Those sound boring and very unspecific. Instead try and break those broad goals down into something more specific in order to reach that overarching objective.
So, despite my goals being specific they are still somewhat vague and there is no clear indication as to how I will achieve them. Sure, they sound great to simply say. But how am I actually going to do it? So here is how I turned these new years resolutions into SMART goals.
My SMART Goal New Year’s Resolutions
Nutritional Goal: I will drink 1 cup of tea (and no wine) Sunday through Thursday night while sitting on the couch and relaxing before bed in order to improve my nutritional health for the month of January, February, and March.
Fitness Goal: I will spend 3 minutes, 2 days a week working on my strength and balance with the purpose of progressing into a holding a full yoga headstand for 10 seconds by the end of May.
Financial Goal: I will spend 15 minutes each week looking at the coupons/ads sent to my house, and reviewing coupons on my smart phone prior to meal planning in order to spend less money when grocery shopping for the month of January, February, and March.
Relationship Goal: My husband and I will pick one night a month to spend at least 1-2 hours of quality time together that does not involve watching T.V. during the months of January- June in order to strengthen our marriage.
Professional Goal: I will take a continuing education course for pregnancy, postpartum, and pelvic floor physical therapy in the year of 2021 in order to advance my knowledge of these subjects.
Many of my goals end around March or June. I plan on reassessing once I get to this time frame. I might need to keep working in order to meet my goal. Or maybe I will have met my set goal and certain things (like drinking tea at night) will have become a daily habit that I continue for the rest of the year.
Choosing Your New Year’s Resolutions
Your goals may not be the same as my goals. Maybe you’re already an extreme couponer or a well balanced yogi. But decide what sparks joy or gets you excited about trying new things in the new year.
Tips for Selecting Your Resolution:
- Pick a general category (financial, fitness, wellness, etc.).
- Pick out something specific within that category (run a 5K, start a budget, go to bed by 10pm each night).
- Turn your goal into a smart goal.
- Write it down!
- Refer to it. Measure progress.
- Reward yourself for meeting your goal.
Sample Goals:
Resolutions I have done or considered include:
- Read 10 books this year
- Do not buy any brand new clothes
- Cook 5 recipes from 5 different cook books
- Run a half marathon
- Meditate 3 nights a week
- Go to bed by 10pm each weeknight
- Become certified in dry needling
- Talk on the phone to a distant friend 1 x per month
- Wake up at 4:45 am to exercise 3 mornings a week
- Floss more (who hasn’t had this goal?)
- Listen to more non-fiction books
- Bake a complex cupcake from the Food Network Magazine each month (yup, did this one)
- Take a social media break
- Spend more time on self care
What’s Next?
What’s next is up to you. The options are seriously endless. Pick something that makes you excited about jumping into 2021. Choose a goal that challenges you, that will keep you accountable, moving forward, and making the most of out your new year.
Drop a comment with your new year’s resolutions. And if you need any help about turning that resolution into a SMART goal, I’m here for you.
“And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.” – Rainer Maria Rilke
–Monica
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