As we begin to approach the end of the year, it’s time to buckle down and start thinking about setting New Year's Resolutions. Let’s face it, we often start off the year with massive goals, and quickly forget about them once life gets busy. But not this time around… We’re here to help you stick to those plans with 5 easy tips for setting realistic and achievable goals in 2021.

1. Change your goal-setting mentality 🤯

Have you ever heard of SMART goals? Perhaps the term has been mentioned in school or in conversation. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound goals. In simple terms, this means setting goals that are: 

1. Clear and detailed 

2. Easily tracked for success

3. Realistic and not overwhelming or drastically changing your lifestyle

4. Relevant to your overall mission (for ex. becoming healthy, focusing on self-care, etc.)

5. Deadline sensitive

By following these steps, your goals will be easier to stick-to, helping you feel more motivated and satisfied with the results. So just make sure that your 2021 incentives check off that SMART list, and you’ll be ready to kick start the new year!

2. Write down your goals ✍️

There’s no denying that writing your goals down makes you more likely to follow them. As a bonus, if your goal sheet is visible in a place that you’ll encounter everyday – such as a notepad on your fridge, a whiteboard in your office, a note in your everyday planner or in your phone’s note-taking app with automatic reminders – it will become impossible for you to forget or ignore them. 

This will definitely help you keep that initial motivation, even on cozy days where you just want to lay in bed and binge watch TV shows 🥱.

3. Do your research 🤓

Seems pretty straightforward, but this step is very important to make sure you’re on track with your goals. Doing some research beforehand will ensure that you have set realistic and feasible goals. We recommend reading articles, asking friends and family, watching blog-based user-experience videos, or some informative documentaries about the topic. 

Whether your goal is weight loss, taking care of your mental health, learning a new skill/activity, getting organized with your finances, or getting rid of a bad habit, it’s significantly easier to reach your goal if you have an informed and realistic plan in place. If you’re not educated about the topic, you will have a harder time seeing progress as you could be focusing your efforts in the wrong area. 

So go ahead, and do your research beforehand. This will help you set a feasible and informed plan, and will get you excited to start the new journey once January rolls around.

4. Share your goals 🤝

Sharing your resolution can mean two things – you can commit to the goal with a friend and experience the journey together, or simply share your progress and success with your peers by keeping them up-to-date. 

By having a goal buddy, you’ll both be there to hold each other accountable, inspire one another to stay-on-track, and bond about your experiences. After all, celebrations are always more fun when you have someone to celebrate with 🥂.  

If you can’t find someone in your social circle with a like-minded goal, do not fret! You can still celebrate your wins and share your progress with friends, family and even social media. Not only will this inspire you to continue (since others will now be a witness to your journey), but you may even inspire someone to take on this challenge too.

5. Celebrate your successes 🥳

This step seems easy, right? But don’t underestimate the importance of celebrating your wins. Goals can often seem impossible, unreachable and ages away when you start off… which can be quite discouraging. This is why it’s important to schedule in your celebrations. By breaking down the journey into smaller steps, it will be easier for you to stay motivated as you will be continuously reaching small milestones, leading you to the overall end-goal. 

We recommend treating yourself to a cheat-meal if you’re dieting, some new gear if it's a fitness goal, or a spa day featuring your favorite beauty items if you’re putting in more hours at work!

Setting goals for the New Year is a great way to hit reset on your lifestyle and truly evaluate what is working for you and what is not. After all, all we want is to feel satisfied with ourselves and to reach our optimal potential. Because when we’re the best version of ourselves, we’re happier.