Set Targets for the New Year… and Keep Them!

Set Targets for the New Year… and Keep Them!

5 January 2017

Have you often decided on a new year’s resolution only to all-too-quickly find yourself floundering in your attempts to work towards it?

Maybe you just aren’t going about things in the most productive way – including how you both set targets and then try to meet them. Here are some tips that could see you finally realising long-held ambitions – and not just fitness-related ones.

 

Be specific with your targets

 

Have your devised goals been rather vague – along the lines of “eat more healthily” or “exercise more”? This can pose a stumbling block – because, as Brightside explains, with unspecific goals, it can be hard to figure out what exactly you must do to meet them. You should instead go for specific resolutions, like “snack more on vegetables instead of chocolate” or “have a half-hour swim at the local pool every Saturday”.

 

Be realistic with those targets, too

 

It’s vital to set a target, but also vital not to set one that could seem overly daunting. If, for example, you decide to completely give up chocolate, there’s the risk that you could feel hopefully frustrated the first time you act on temptation by picking up a Dairy Milk. That could then lead you to abandon your goal. Try, then, to walk before you run. For example, you could join one of our one-day fitness boot camps before moving onto one of our lengthier weight loss retreats when you feel ready.

 

Set a sensible deadline

 

That deadline should be sufficiently close to motivate you to put the effort in, but not so near that, if you go off course for whatever reason, you will miss it. And, as well as setting a deadline for your main goal, set deadlines for smaller targets along the way. This will assist you with keeping track of how far you get.

 

Devise an action plan  

 

To do this, you should make sure that your main target has been broken down into smaller sub-goals, before noting what specific actions you must take to meet each one. You could even further break down targets if it helps with deciding what exact actions need to be taken.

 

Track your progress

 

This is good for not only seeing how well you are faring, but also assisting in keeping you motivated. You should record your progress in a visual manner, perhaps on your phone or a wall calendar, to allow you to periodically check your progress with just a glance. For this, we would especially recommend the MyFitnessPal calorie tracking app for iPhones and Android phones.

 

Don’t just plan goals on 1 January

 

While a new year can be a convenient time to set new goals, since Christmas has then just passed and so you will have much more free time on your hands, it can also be a good starting point to more regularly outlining new targets and working towards them. The advice that we have just provided can be useful at any time of year – and spreading out your goals could better help you achieve them.