It’s that time of the year again. Many people set New Year Resolutions once again in January. I will lose 20 pounds, I will stop smoking, I will start exercising. These resolutions sound great in theory, but very few people will achieve their annual resolutions. Why? Because an annual resolution is more of an intent, something you want to do or achieve within or after 365 days. That’s a long time and so far off in the future, that it’s hard to wrap one’s head around it. In fact, according to discoverhappyhabits.com, the success rate of annual resolutions decreases over time. They report that 75% are still successful after one week, 71% after two weeks, 64% after one month, and 46% after 6 months. I can’t even imagine what the final percentage is at year-end.
How did you do with your resolutions? Not so great? Don’t despair. Just read on to learn how you have several more chances to make it right.
HOW TO PICK YOUR WEEKLY GOALS
Instead of annual resolutions, I suggest creating goals. But not just one or two—I suggest creating one for each week of the year. How do you start? Just spend some quiet time thinking about your passions, your purpose, the legacy you want to leave behind, and then start writing (or typing) depending on if you’re a paper or digital person.
I like to make things easy so I suggest a couple of very different options:
One major goal you want to achieve by year-end:
Is there a major goal that you want to achieve by the end of the year? Let’s say you want to publish a book. Start with a brain dump of the steps in that process. This won’t be a comprehensive list when you first start, so it doesn’t have to be perfect. Believe me, you’ll add to it over time and after consulting other resources. To accomplish that major goal by year-end, each week should have a task (or two) to complete to achieve that huge goal of being a published author. The same goes for any type of major goal. Identify the steps and choose weekly, achievable goals to help you accomplish that big goal.
Smaller, unique goals you want to achieve each week:
What if you can’t think of a major life goal that you want to achieve, but you have lots of smaller ones instead? Perhaps many of them are unrelated to each other. That’s great too. For example, one week you may want to download and experiment with a new app; another week you may want to walk 10 miles, and yet another week, you want to read a book. Jot these all down on one list you can tweak over time.
Whether you’ve chosen one major goal with 52 weekly tasks or 52 unique goals, pick the top one that you want to accomplish over a week. I suggest making your first goal an easy goal—one you know you can accomplish. Why? Because I want you to experience that feeling of success. It’s a high that no alcoholic drink and no drug can provide.
Once you’ve selected your number one goal, clearly define your goal so that at the end of the week, there’s no question whether or not you’ve achieved it. Don’t make it too big. Take a few minutes to estimate how long you think the first step will take. If it’s not achievable based on the amount of time you’ll have to work on it, then make it smaller.
For example, if your goal is to read a book, you may estimate that it will take 14 hours. Look at your calendar and the time you have available to actually read it. If you think you’ll only have one free hour per day to read, and not two, then modify your goal. Instead of reading the entire book in a week, split that into two separate goals. The first week, read the first half of the book; the second week read the second half of the book. See what I mean?
OPTIONS TO CLEARLY DEFINE YOUR GOALS:
SMART
In the past, I have blogged about setting SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.) However, in doing some research, I recently stumbled upon a new concept I’d never heard about called PACT.
PACT:
So what is PACT? According to 1Huddle, it’s an acronym for Purposeful, Actionable, Continuous, and Trackable, each of which is explained below:
Purposeful: Your goals should be related to your long-term purpose in life because when your goals are aligned with your mission and passions, you’re more motivated.
Actionable: Good goals are based on outputs that are within your control.
Continuous: According to the author, many goals are not achieved due to choice paralysis. That’s when people have so many options that they end up spending all their time researching the best options instead of making progress on their goals. On the other hand, continuous goals are flexible so people can change their approach as they learn and grow. So it’s more about continuous improvement.
Trackable: Instead of using metrics that may be out of your control to track success, the PACT method suggests that using “yes” or “no” responses to track task completion works better.
The example they provide which differentiates between SMART vs PACT is eye-opening, which is why I’m summarizing it for you. Below are two versions of a person’s goal to grow their email subscriber list using the two different methodologies:
- SMART version: Get 5,000 email subscribers in 20 weeks
- PACT version: Send 25 amazing emails over the next 20 weeks
The SMART version is measuring success against metrics beyond your control whereas the PACT version emphasizes purposeful, actionable, continuous, and trackable goals.
THE RESULT:
Once you’ve clearly defined your first weekly goal, set time aside each day to work on it. That means physically scheduling time on your calendar, preferably every day if you can—even if it’s only 15 minutes. A sample calendar entry could be “Weekly Goal- read first half of book.”
Whichever you choose, you’ll win no matter what as long as you stick with it. That’s what I plan to do this year—52 mini goals. I’m so excited!
Let’s make 2022 a heck of a year! Stop procrastinating and start taking action. Knock those goals off your “To-Do” list once and for all so you can move them over to your “DONE” list. Need some accountability? Want encouragement and help staying on track? Then join my private Accountability Facebook Group “Weekly Goal Accountability At Your Fingertips” for motivation, inspiration, tips and of course, accountability!
Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.
Tony Robbins
LET ME HELP YOU:
What are some weekly goals you’d like to achieve this year? Please comment below– perhaps your sharing can help someone else!
Brenda Tringali, CPO® (Certified Professional Organizer)
Organizing | Productivity | Speaker
At Your Fingertips Organizing
Serving Greater Myrtle Beach, SC or “virtually” anywhere via video
Cell/Text: 603.490.6062
Brenda Tringali is the owner of At Your Fingertips Organizing. She provides Speaking, Organizing & Productivity services to Workplace/Residential clients both in person in the greater Myrtle Beach, SC area & “virtually” anywhere else via video, phone, etc. Brenda is an active member of NAPO (National Association of Productivity and Organizing professionals) and the former Chair of NAPOCares, NAPO’s Social Responsibility Committee.