As the first of the year approaches, you’ve no doubt thought about things you might want to accomplish, visions you’d love to actualize, and dreams you’re ready to work tangibly toward. I personally love New Year’s Resolutions, though I know they can feel daunting, and sometimes even crushing. But, I think there is a way to make them without setting yourself up for failure, while also holding yourself accountable. Here are some tried and true tips I use throughout the years when making mine.
1. Make a list.
This one seems simple, but if you actually write them down, that’s one step to them becoming real. The act of writing down your resolutions is a physical manifestation of what’s in your mind, and a small hook of accountability as you head into the New Year, knowing that at its conclusion, this list will be staring back at you, for better or worse.
2. Create a vision board.
This one is a step further than the list, and something I like to do after the list is made. The vision board is a way to be more specific about your resolutions, more visual. I have a whole post about writing vision boards here if you’d like to delve into it, but the purpose of them is a constant physical reminder with intricate visuals of your dreams. Each day, when you look at your vision board, you’ll be reminded of the feelings those images evoke—of the steps needed to make those visions real.
3. Break your goals down.
I’m not saying don’t reach for the stars, I’m more saying, don’t reach for another galaxy if you have yet to build your space ship. When writing down your resolutions, think about the steps needed to get there. Break them down into their own mini-resolutions. You might find that setting your sights on first achieving those goals is a more strategic approach.
4. Schedule monthly check-ins.
For me, I do this through the calendar app. I set up a recurring event, and even prompt a 7-day notification before that day arrives, to give myself time to prepare. It’s a meeting you set with yourself, and just like any other meeting, be ready to share status updates!
5. Quarter blocking.
Instead of looking at the year as a whole, look at the quarters, and put goals into each bucket. For time-sensitive or easier-to-achieve resolutions, think about putting them in Q1’s bucket. This tip is for the procrastinators, ahem, like me.
