Every 365 days, Earth completes its victory lap around the sun. Simultaneously, about 40 percent of Americans will make some form of New Year’s resolution. The “new year, new me” mentality often sweeps up the general population in a wave of radical inspiration to change some of the most difficult things about their lives. Among the top 10 changes are to lose weight, stop smoking and start exercising regularly.
Sadly, the University of Scranton found that only 8 percent of people achieve their new year’s goals. However, with proper goal setting these resolutions can not only last beyond the month of January, but also lead to lifestyle changes to better people forever.
More efficient goal setting includes creating SMART resolutions, breaking large changes into smaller goals and preparing for obstacles that one might face. In fact, research supports the idea that goal setting is an effective tool for behavior and lifestyle change under one condition: the goals are made properly.
First, the SMART acronym. Although most NC State students might groan and sigh at the sight of this goal-setting phrase, as if it wasn’t emphasized enough in everyone’s first-year classes, it is a crucial tool to help construct more meaningful and attainable goals. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
The SMART goal-setting tool aids in developing meaningful goals to strive for. For example, instead of saying “I plan to run more,” a SMART goal could be “I plan to run three times a week for thirty minutes each for the next three months.” With the latter goal, one would actually have something more tangible to strive for that has a definite way to be measured and keep one accountable.
Second, big changes come from small goals. If someone’s goal was to “lose weight and be healthier,” they would need to break the goal into smaller, more manageable goals. This way, there is a more definite plan to reach the final goal, and all of the smaller goals act to create a roadmap to lead one to success.
For example, they could create one SMART goal about increasing their frequency visiting the gym. Once they’ve achieved that, they can adjust their SMART goal to add more intensity to their workouts or maybe focus on their nutrition to promote a healthier lifestyle.
Finally, it is crucial to develop solutions before problems appear. Slight lapses in behavior due to obstacles can affect one’s ability to stay dedicated to their lifestyle modification. In order to prevent “going off the bandwagon,” one can foresee problems before they arise and think of solutions.
For example, if someone with a weight loss goal knew that at every weekly meeting there would a table of pastries and desserts, then they would need to think of a way to protect against the obstacle. The person could plan to brush their teeth or chew mint gum during the meeting to prevent eating the food, which would help keep their morale and motivation high.
New Year’s resolutions aren’t a thing of the past, so go ahead, make a SMART goal this new year and become a SMARTer you.
