A new year is upon us. This is the year that you’re finally going to start that project you’ve been thinking about. And you’re finally going to pay attention to your health, so your doctor can stop pestering you about your cholesterol. And you’re also going to take that class you’ve been meaning to. And this is the third year in a row you’ve made the same new year resolutions. Well, except for the class. That one’s been on the list for five years. So how do you prevent it from being there for a sixth year?
Practical Tips for Effective Goal Setting
Motivation is one factor to consider when trying to figure out why you don’t follow through on your resolutions. So how can you identify sources of motivation and keep the ball rolling? Here are three practical tips:
Identify your values.
Consider your aspirations.
Break down your goal into manageable pieces.
Identify your values
Values are beliefs about what gives meaning to and is important to your life. They can serve as a source of motivation, and not just for the new year! Values can power you throughout the year, and for many years to come.
List your values and why they are important to you. Start by asking yourself the following questions:
What is most important to me in life?
Why is that value so important to me?
Here are some areas where values may come from:
Relationships (family, friends, intimate partners, co-workers, community members)
Productivity (at work, school, home)
Material assets
Health (including habits related to exercise, eating, sleep, intake of alcohol or other substances)
Self-improvement (in education, skills, culture, appearance, self-control, independence)
Community (locally or more broadly)
Spirituality
Creativity
Nature
Hobbies and fun
Try coming up with 5-10 values. Here are some examples:
Eating healthy: This is important to me because I want to remain in good health so that I can enjoy time with family and friends.
Music: It provides a source of comfort, relaxation, and self-expression.
Consider Your Aspirations
Aspirations are hopes or ambitions that we have for ourselves. A New Year’s resolution is a kind of aspiration. Paying attention to your aspirations can help you to achieve a sense of purpose. But aspirations can be equally frustrating when you're unable to achieve them.
One way to build motivation to work toward your aspirations is by linking them to your values. Review your list of values. For each value, ask yourself one or more of the following questions:
What do I want for my life?
What are my hopes for the future?
What do I want my future to look like?
Here are some example aspirations based on the values listed in the previous section:
I see myself 10 years from now with a healthy weight and in good physical health. I am able to keep up with the kids.
I want a future in which I can release stress and anxiety by playing my favourite song on a musical instrument.
Break Down Your Goal Into Manageable Pieces
Now that you have some aspirations for the new year, it’s time to make sure that they don't end up like that bit of leftover turkey you forgot was in the back of the fridge. Breaking down the aspirations into smaller steps can help make them more manageable. You know what else is pretty big? A year! So let’s break that down too.
Author Cal Newport advocates for using quarterly planning as a personal productivity tool. Let’s see if we can apply quarterly planning to your aspirations. Take each of your aspirations and break it down into four steps. Then assign each step to a quarter of the year (January-March, April-June, and so on). This can help you turn a big, long-term goal into an achievable, time-bound goal. It also helps increase the likelihood of achieving your desired outcome.
Here is an example of the aspiration to play an instrument, broken down into quarters:
January-March: Identify and enrol in a music class.
April-June: Save up to buy my own instrument so that I can practice outside of class.
July-September: Spend at least one hour per week practising my technique.
October-December: Focus on practising my favourite song.
I created a custom worksheet to help my clients identify what's most important to them. Request the Values, Aspirations, and Goals worksheet here.
Conclusion
Reflecting on what is important can motivate you to put in hard work and help you focus on building the future that you desire in the long term. But sometimes, despite your best efforts, you find yourself stuck in the same patterns. In that case, it might be helpful to call for backup. Book a free consultation today to find out if therapy can help you to establish new patterns that are in line with your values and aspirations.
References
Beck, A. T. (2021, June 8). Motivation. Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. https://beckinstitute.org/blog/motivation/
Newport, C. (2022, January 23). Why quarterly planning instead of monthly or annual? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L9WBJWG94c
