Half of Americans make New Year's Resolutions, but fewer than half of those are maintained at 6 months. How are you doing on your New Year's Resolutions? Unfortunately, it's a fact that most resolutions fail--most of them quickly. I've always preferred "goals" to "resolutions." To me, the latter term implies some sweeping change that can be too difficult to measure and attain, while the former tends to be more familiar and a little easier to grasp.
To be effective, resolutions or goals should have four characteristics.
1. Concrete--Don't say, "I'm going to exercise more," or "I'm going to get organized." What does that mean, really? To be effective, the goal needs to be concrete. "I am going to exercise for 60 minutes a day, 5 days a week," for example.
2. Realistic--One of the most common reasons people give up their goals is that they set themselves up to fail. If the goal is unrealistic, there is temptation to throw the whole thing out the window after the first couple setbacks. For people who don't exercise much to begin with, I don't suggest making a goal to work out every single day. If something comes up and you miss a single work out, the goal is shot. Life happens, make the goal realistic.
3. Measurable--The only way to know if you are meeting your goals is to have some way to measure them at regular intervals. The best goals are measurable.
4. Have a plan--Write out a plan. Include the goal, how you will measure it, and when you want to achieve certain benchmarks. Consider giving yourself a reward for achieving them. Buy a new pair of jeans when you've lost 10 lbs, or something like that. Anticipate stumbling blocks and think about how you'll handle the challenges that will inevitably come up.
A few of my New Year's Goals:
-Run 8 marathons in 2012
-Run under 4:00 in a fall marathon
-Post on this blog at least two times/week
-Get back to my high school weight for my 20 year reunion (I might be breaking some of my own rules with this one!)
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