Not a fan of New Year’s resolutions? Here are our recommendations for setting goals which you’ll actually enjoy working towards!
Shorten Your Timeframes
The key to successfully reaching your goals is to set achievable targets, and for many, the pressure to become a new person in January and keep that going for 12 months just isn’t achievable.
And this makes complete sense – not only is 12 months a really long time to commit to a new habit, it starts to seem like a chore and can take all the enjoyment out of your goal.
We say – forget the year-long goals and start small. Aim for 3 months, 1 month, or a fortnight, and see what works best for you.
Go for Bitesized Goals
Why do goals need to be massive? Why not start with 1 small habit?
For example, waking up 20 minutes earlier than usual every day for a week. That’s do-able, right? At the end of this week, if you’re used to it, keep it going. You’ve already made the change!
This is much easier than saying, “this year, I’m going to wake up 2 hours before work every day”, and feeling like a failure from day 1.
With this strategy, you can keep adding in new bitesized goal every few weeks. For example, making time for a 10 minute walk each lunchtime.
These are small, very achievable goals. But once you pile them on top of each other, after 12 months, instead of having tried and failed to “get fitter”, “wake up at dawn”, or “never eat sugar again”, you’ll have smashed out 10 mini goals like eating more fruit, taking the stairs, and fitting in more exercise.
If you’re not sure what bitsized goals look like for you, book a session with Beckwith’s excellent PTs. They’ll work with you to find out exactly what you want to achieve, and develop a plan for you to get there. Sometimes, talking it through with experienced goal-setters like our PTs is all you need! Check out some more information on our PT sessions here.
Get Excited!
When it comes to setting goals, the mental challenge is half the battle. If you don’t actually want to do it, it’ll never happen.
So, how to set goals you’re excited about? Well, aside from reading our blog…
Focus on the WHY. It’s completely acceptable that you probably won’t be excited about eating more broccoli, or eating less doughnuts. So ask yourself, why do you even want to achieve these goals?
The answer could be: to live a longer life so you get to spend more time with your family, or doing what you love; to get fitter so you can join your friends on that annual hiking trip you’ve always avoided; to wake up every day and feel good in your skin, or to travel the world without having to deal with your back pain.
There are so many more examples. The bottom line is, set goals which will get you excited about the life they’ll help you live, or the person you’ll be once you achieve them. Don’t think about the broccoli!
A image from the Beckwith Health Club in Harrogate, North Yorkshire pictured on Thursday 30th January 2020.
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