Happy New Year!

‘Tis the season to promise yourself the world and most likely disappoint yourself by March. Yeah, let’s be real with ourselves: that’s what happens. But, that’s not what needs to happen this new year. There is a way to increase the chances of you accomplishing those goals and resolutions that you pinpoint based on your “failures” in previous years.

I know. I sound so negative, right. Maybe I’m just telling my own story! >.<

Anyway, in my early teaching years, I learned about SMART goals. If you’re a professional, you’ve probably heard about them. It’s this complicated process that takes a simple dream and makes it a full on project that holds you accountable for making it a reality. That means two things: (1) you’ll work harder; (2) you’ll do awesome things.

You have to decide if your new year’s resolutions are worth the extra steps. Hopefully, they are.

I made my kids do it every semester, and I found that the students who used the trackers and steps I suggested in the process helped them to do more during the semester. Even just having to think about the details made them more focused and more confident about making it happen–even if they didn’t by the end. Those same things I’m going to offer you here. While my particular goal is working with my novel, anyone can use this process for any goal–I’ve tested it. As long as you stick with it, it’ll work out.

Below, you’ll find a Prezi that explains SMART goals and walks you through the process to create your own. I also provide you two examples–one simple and one detailed–so you can see how a goal like this is put together.

If you can’t view the Prezi on the page, you can click here to go to the Prezi page.

Every year, I have the typical resolutions: save money, weight loss, get healthy, etc. I can say that some years, I do meet my goals after this process. Well, except weight loss. I never lose weight because food=delicious. But, as a human, I also strive to be a lifelong learner and find more resources every year to help me do so.

I recommend you try to do the same.

So many goals, right? So much to do. The best thing you can do is track everything you want to do in a bullet journal. This isn’t everyone’s thing, I know. But, I have to admit that it’s fun and it helps. If journals are just not an option, try inspiration boards and calendars to help you track and stick to your goals. You can get ideas on my Resolutions Pinterest board.

No matter what you do, as long as you do it: I assure you, it’s one of the best ways to reach success in your goals.

So, what are your goals for the new year? Is this process helping you? How do you make sure you do awesome things throughout the year? Let us know in the comments and on social media!