Nowadays, many of us seem to shy away from the annual tradition of making New year’s resolutions, mainly because of the fact that we know we’ll never end up keeping them. I’ve heard some people say this year and in the past few years that new year’s resolutions or goals are useless. With this, I cannot agree. Although I believe that we need to alter the way we approach making and pursuing new year’s resolutions, I don’t think it is helpful to do away with them altogether. Resolutions, or goals, are essential to helping many of us stay focused, productive, and efficient in our lives. Although I believe that we should be keeping up with old goals and making new ones throughout our year, I think that it is important to reflect on and reevaluate our goals at the start of every new year. I think of the end of the year as the time in which our goal “leases” are up and we must decide whether or not we are going to keep striving towards goals from a previous year or give them up. It is also a time for us to decide if we want to pursue new goals, or start new “leases.” With that said, here’s some tips for you on how to create attainable new year’s resolutions and goals that will help make your year more productive and manageable!

1. Be lenient! I believe that it is important for people to not feel tied down or weighed down by their goals. The feeling of responsibility that we often associate with our goals can be good in moderation, but can have adverse effects if we feel too much responsibility. We often start to stray from our goals in the face of the immense pressure we put on ourselves. In order to ensure that we stay on track with our goals throughout the year and not just in the beginning of it, we have to be open to the fact that our goals may need to adapt and change. Our lives aren’t linear, so why do we force our goals to be? Allow your goals to go with the flow and notice a change in both your attitude towards life and the overall successfulness of your resolutions.

2. Make smaller goals, or less of them! For some reason, we were taught that we need to make long, elaborate goals or simply many of them. This, though, is not true and can contribute to the failure of many of our goals. If your goal has three parts to it, scrap it altogether or split it up! It is much easier for us to work towards something that is simply worded, easy to remember, and has true meaning rather than something that is complex and overwhelming. Do yourself a favor and writer shorter goals or make fewer goals for yourself this year. Personally, I like to focus on one word for the whole year. I really take the time to consider what kind of year I want to have and what I want to work on. Then, I try to find one word, one simple word, that sums it all (or at least some of it) up. Don’t add a jumble of words and nonsense to your list of to-dos this year. Make shorter, simpler goals and your productivity will thank you later.

3. Write them down or post them where you will see them. The saying is true: out of sight, out of mind. Physically writing your goals down adds intention to your goals and makes you more likely to act on them. Having them written down holds you accountable and also allows you to reflect on your progress, successes, and failures at the end of the year. Though, while it is extremely important to physically write your goals down, it is almost more important to place them in a spot where you’ll see them every day. You can write them down in a notebook, but if you close that notebook and return it to its hidden, dusty spot in your room, you’ll either forget your goals, feel less motivated to achieve them, or both! Prevent this by posting your goals in a place you are commonly in or a spot you frequently look at. A beside table, side of a mirror, desk, dresser, or phone background are all great ideas for spots to post your goals. Whichever spot works the best for you will work the best for your goals and ensure that you will have a goal-achieving year.

Happy New Year!