The new year has begun, and I know all of you have probably created 2024 goals and resolutions, because “new year, new me” right? I am exactly the same. Every single year that I have been in high school, I have sat myself down at the end of December, and created a list of goals for the following year, with a set of resolutions to compliment them. And it’s safe to say that not a lot of them made it past January 31st. Or January 13th for that matter. When we set our goals, it’s easy to look back on the year that has passed and see it as a failure. So, we try to start over, setting ambitious goals that we vow to work towards and achieve in the new year. Until we don’t. However, this year (as you’ve probably said for every other year - me too girl) is going to be different. 2024 is our year. And so, I, an experienced goal setter but maybe not-so-experienced goal achiever, am going to help you to achieve your goals and stick to your resolutions for this fresh new year. We are in this together.
Seeing as we are a couple of days into January, you have probably set all of your goals by now (if not, no worries, but probably get started on that quick). If they are anything like mine they are likely to be ambitious, with huge expectations on what you can achieve during this year. So in order to keep ourselves on track and actually achieve our goals, I have created a series of top tips for staying consistent and making sure our resolutions last past Sunday, so that we can achieve our dreams.
1. Split your goals into small, manageable chunks
You’ve probably heard this over and over again when it comes to things like studying (I know I have), but try to think about it in a different perspective. You have set yourself this large goal and it is going to take a lot of time and effort to achieve. Let’s be honest, it’s pretty daunting. However, if you split this goal into goals for each of the twelve months, it starts to seem a bit more achievable. Same with if you break it into goals for each of the 52 weeks of the year. For example, let’s say you have a goal to read 25 books in the year. 25 books is a lot (for some people, i.e. me) and it could seem like a pretty hard target to reach. But it’s only around 2 books a month. Or even better, ½ a book a week. Looking at your goals from this perspective makes them seem more realistic, and also helps you to keep on track by allowing you to aim for smaller goals consistently throughout each month, rather than leaving all of your work for December 31.
2. Plan plan plan
In the wise words of Taylor Swift: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Goals can only possibly be achieved through planning, and of course time management. If you have 10, or even 2 large goals that you want to achieve throughout the year, it’s important that you find balance. Make sure that you go for a walk but still have time to study. Make sure you work all of the shifts you can but also have time to read. If you plan accurately to distribute your time, you should find no problem in achieving multiple goals in this one year. Planning also helps you to keep on track for your goals, making sure that you are consistent each day. For example, one thing that I like to do is to plan my monthly gym schedule, before the month starts. This way, I know exactly what workouts to do each day, and what workouts I am doing the next. Following this plan leads me to achieve larger goals, like getting fitter and stronger. And if you allow said plan to be flexible, it allows you to bounce back from setbacks before completely giving up. So try it. Each month, plan what activities you are going to do for each week/day to contribute towards your goals, so that you know when you should be working towards them or doing something else. I would definetly recommend using Google Calendar for this - you can make it pretty, and have it with you at all times (on your phone, laptop etc).
3. Don’t go too hard too fast
You’ve set these ambitious goals, so of course you want to achieve them straight away right? The incorrect way to do this is to push yourself too hard. You are only capable of so much, and pushing yourself too hard too quickly is just going to burn you out, meaning you probably won’t even come near your goals. And I’m speaking from experience here. Every time I took a break from the gym for a while, I would go back expecting my body to perform the same as it did before I left. Spoiler alert: it didn’t, and I got injured often. If you have goals such as to run a 10k or to achieve something academically, launch slowly so that you don’t crash after takeoff. Build yourself up over time, and then you will begin to see results. Trust the process, and trust yourself.
4. Hold yourself accountable, or even better, get someone else to hold you accountable
Holding yourself accountable means that YOU have to make sure that YOU do the work that you need to do in order to reach your goals. This is great and all, as long as you actually do hold yourself accountable. But, it’s very easy to slip into the excuse cycle. Then, you get too soft on yourself, letting yourself get away with things that are going to negatively contribute to your quest of achievement. Instead, I would recommend getting a friend to start holding you accountable. Get a person that you care about to start asking you if you’ve studied, if you’ve been for a walk, if you’ve read today. This creates the sense that you are doing all of this for them, and if you are a “pathological people pleaser” this will make you much more likely to work in order to not disappoint them. And the best thing about this is that it works both ways. You can hold them accountable, and they can hold you accountable. And if you are working in the same field, it works even better. For example, if you are both wanting to improve your maths grades, you can make sure that they do their maths homework every night, and they can make sure that you do yours every night. This means that there is less opportunity for bad excuses, forcing you to do the work that you need to reach your desired final outcome.
5. It's okay to have excuses, but don’t let them get in your way
In saying all that about holding yourself accountable, remember that it’s still okay to have excuses, as long as you don’t let them stop you. For example, if you are busy focusing on your final exams, it’s unlikely that you are going to have time to go to the gym. Sure, this may hinder your fitness goals, but you have something else going on, so it’s okay. However, if you give up and don’t go back to the gym after your exams are finished, that is when your excuse is stopping you from reaching your goals. Taking a week off is much less impactful than taking the rest of the year off. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself to do a specific something every day, especially if you are sick or are just too busy. But make sure that your ‘excuse’ doesn't stop you entirely. Make it a bump in the road, not an ocean-sized pothole.
6. Reward yourself
Even small victories are worth celebrating! Just because you can’t suddenly run an 18 minute 5k or understand a complex maths topic doesn’t mean you are a failure. And it certainly doesn’t mean that you should give up. Instead, focus on the small victories, and know that they are all going to build up to the final, big victory. If you create a reward system for yourself, it also creates more incentive to keep going. If you get to buy yourself something new every time you save up $1000, take a day off for every six days that you run consecutively, or even get a snack for every couple of hours that you study, that promise of a short-term reward is going to keep you going and keep you motivated, and the work that you put it will all build towards that final goal.
7. Remember why you started
It’s easy to get halfway through the year (or halfway through January) and get so entirely unmotivated that you just forget about your goals. Remember your goals, and have them somewhere where you can see them often. But also remember why you made your goals. Did you form them to help you get your dream job, get a step closer to ticking something off your bucket list, make your parents proud, or dig deeper into something that you love? Always remember why the goals that you formed are important to you, and use this as an internal motivator. If your goal is to save a certain amount of money, why? Are you saving up for a car, your dream trip to the Bahamas, more books, or even your tuition? What do these items/experiences mean to you? If you keep on using this mindset as a driving force, I guarantee you are less likely to give up halfway through. Another approach you could take, especially if your ultimate goals are quite long standing, is to think of what a past version of you would think. Would your five-year-old self be happy where she is today? Or does she need something more. Sure, you can’t just magically be a fairy, but you can always work towards owning the things that she wanted, and living the life that she dreamed of. Same thing with last year’s version of you. Would she be satisfied with where you are now? Or is she waiting for you to achieve the career or go to the places she could only imagine. Always remember why your goals are important to you, and to try and make your past self proud.
8. Eyes on the final prize
In contrast to remembering why you started, is remembering where you want to end up. What you want to achieve. When you wake up early in the morning to go on your short run, or to bake a scrappy cake, or to study a topic you find hard, consider the progress you are making, and what you are working towards. Months of training can lead to your body being able to handle that marathon you’ve always wanted to do. Months of practice can lead to you making pinterest-worthy cakes. Months of studying can make a topic start to feel easy. Enjoy the work or “The Climb” (as Miley Cyrus would call it) but make sure you remember what you are working for, so that you continue to do so. I also like to think that one day I’ll be like the boy in the Avril Lavinge song “Sk8ter Boi” and that I will be a superstar rocking up MTV (or something along those lines) while all of the people who doubted me will be at home watching me. And if you don’t have haters or people that doubt you, make them up. It’s an imaginary situation, don’t look too deeply into it. Either way, just try to picture the day when you achieve your goal. How do you think it’s going to feel crossing the finish line? That’s what you are working for.
9. Romanticise everything
Okay this might sound like it has nothing to do with achieving your goals, but please trust me because it does and works a treat. All of your goals probably require lots of hard, unsatisfying work that you have to do to reach them. Doing the work sucks, and chances are you aren’t going to be motivated to do it half (or more) of the time. And so, what if we make these displeasing but necessary tasks more pleasing? Go to Pinterest, and search up something related to your goal. Want to get into the premier team? Search your sport. Want to get good grades? Search studying. Better 5k time? Search running. Literally search anything related to your goals, and Pinterest, the most magical app on the planet, will spit out heaps of images making your tedious and unpleasant task seem beautiful. And then you can gaslight yourself into thinking it is beautiful in your life. This is going to make you way more motivated for the tasks ahead, and stop yourself from procrastinating. And, if you want to take it a step further (if you haven’t already) create a vision board using these images. I created one for my desktop and my phone lock screen so that I see it all of the time, and it is a great reminder of how beautiful I want the life that I live to be, even if the tasks to get there seem irritating.
10. Don’t stop when you have achieved your goal
This one's a bit of a personal experience for me, but do not, I repeat DO NOT stop when you have achieved your goal. I made this mistake last year, where I had set a goal to run a 60 minute 10k, and achieved the goal by the end of January. Because I had already achieved the goal, there was no incentive to continue running and continue training, so I stopped, which meant my fitness also took a hit. Yes, it’s great if you do achieve your goals early in the year, but instead of just packing up and calling it a day, create a new, more ambitious goal. This will keep you on the same path so that you can reap even more rewards from achieving the goal, placing yourself further ahead in your life than if you had just stopped. If I was to redo last year, I would have set myself a goal to run a 55 minute 10k, or even to run 15 or 20ks. That way, I would have kept running to achieve these goals, becoming fitter and fitter with training, which would have benefited other areas of my life as well. So, if you end up in the same situation as I did, don’t hold yourself back by stopping at your goal. Aim higher, achieve more.
Talking about goals is fun and all, but remember that it’s the work that you put in that counts. I hope you take my tips into account during this year, and trust me, 2024 is your year if you want it enough. Thanks for reading, and good luck!
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