New Year Goals and how to achieve them

January 3, 2020 12:54 pm Published by Watermark Homes

Facebook

Twitter

What is a goal?

A goal is the aim or desired result of our ambition or effort.

A new year feels like a fresh start and can be the perfect time to make resolutions and set goals. We tend to start the year feeling positive and motivated, ready to make changes for the better. However, despite the best of intentions, our new year goals often fall by the wayside. For example, gym memberships soar in January, but 80% of these members quit within 5 months and only about half of those remaining visit regularly
- [source: Credit Donkey].

So how can we help ourselves to succeed?

How to achieve your new year goals

Focus on just one goal at a time

Having a list of new year goals or resolutions can be overwhelming and counterproductive. While it’s okay to have more than one goal, focus on just one at a time. This will give you a greater chance of achieving it.

For example, if your first new year goal is to clear your crazy wardrobe clutter, set aside a day to do just that. Then once you’ve done it, you can crack on with the next goal.

Break your goal down into actionable tasks

This might include setting milestones, creating a task list and ensuring that you have everything you need before you start to work towards your goal. By having smaller tasks that contribute towards your larger goal, you are more likely to succeed.

If you find yourself procrastinating, try Mel Robbins’ ‘5-second rule‘:

“When you feel yourself hesitate before doing something that you know you should do, count 5-4-3-2-1-GO and move towards action.
There is a window that exists between the moment you have an instinct to change and your mind killing it. It’s a 5-second window. And it exists for everyone.
If you do not take action on your instinct to change, you will stay stagnant. You will not change.”

Write your goal down

When you write down your goals, you ‘encode’ them. What does this mean? Well, “Encoding is the biological process by which the things we perceive travel to our brain’s hippocampus where they’re analyzed. From there, decisions are made about what gets stored in our long-term memory and, in turn, what gets discarded. Writing improves that encoding process. In other words, when you write it down it has a much greater chance of being remembered.”
- [source: Forbes]

Furthermore, goal success is improved through vivid goal description (for example using photos, pictures, or even diagrams). So write your goal down (in detail) and include images, allowing you to really picture it.

Take the pressure off

Psychotherapist Daniel Fryer warns against putting ‘dogmatic demands’ on yourself and recommends allowing some flexibility when goal setting.

“Instead of saying ‘I have to achieve these things’ like ‘I have to stop smoking,’ say ‘this is what I would really like to happen, but it doesn’t have to’… Whatever your intention, turn that goal into a preference rather than a demand”
- [source: Stylist]

Our new year goals

The Watermark Homes team have been thinking about our own goals and resolutions for 2020 and these are what we’re working towards…

Nicola Spreadbury, Office Manager

Personal goal: To learn a new skill: I think I’ll start with horse riding, then maybe playing the piano.

Professional goal: To increase my building industry knowledge by reading more literature, websites and of course on the job learning!

Laura Yarnall, Business Development Manager

Personal goal: To conduct more Random Acts of Kindness & give people more compliments.

Professional goal: To sign up to more industry newsletters and blogs to further my knowledge and gain more industry insight and help learn new trends for 2020.