Top Tips for Setting AND Sticking to Your New Year’s Goals
The new year is upon us. A fresh start for us all, and we’re sure that many would be happy to wave goodbye to the year that has been 2020. This new year gives us all a chance to write down our New Year goals and map out how we’re going to make the most of the year ahead. All too often we stumble over the first few roadblocks, and quickly revert to the old, unhealthy habits only to repeat the process next year.
This week we’re sharing our top 8 tips for you to not only set your new year goals, but to stay on track and achieve them.
- Set goals that you can accomplish with a partner
An easy way to stay on track in achieving your goals is to have an accountability partner. This could be your spouse, family member or a friend. Some ideas for joint goals that you can set could be signing up for a fitness program, going ‘dry’ for a period of time whether it be a week, month or even a year, or even starting a new course together. It’s important to ensure that you have regular ‘check-ins’ with your partner scheduled so that you can keep on track and achieve your goals.
- Write down your goals and keep them visible
As in the case for setting any goals, it’s important to ensure that you write them down. Put your list of new year goals somewhere visible that you’ll see on a regular basis. Whether it’s on the back of your bathroom door, on your mobile phone home screen or even at your work station. By keeping your list of goals visible, you’ll keep yourself constantly reminded of what you set out to achieve.
- Create goals for each area of your life
While you might want to get fit or get your personal finances under control, it’s important to set goals for each of the key areas in your life. This includes your relationships, family, spiritual, health / fitness and of course, your personal finances. We’d suggest setting one, two or more goals for each of the key categories.
- Make sure that your goals are measurable
How can you know if you’ve achieved your goal if you can’t measure it..? One of the easiest ways to stay motivated about achieving your goals is to keep them measurable and track your progress on a regular basis. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, save more money or learn a new language, set specific and quantifiable targets so that you can track your progress.
- Reward yourself along the way
This is an incredibly important one to keep yourself motivated. Make sure that you reward your achievements along the way as you stay on track to achieve your goals. It’s important to ensure that your rewards don’t make it more difficult to achieve your other goals, so make sure that your rewards are appropriate.
- Avoid comparing yourself to others
In this digital age, we’re constantly surrounded by ‘news feed’ with announcements from our friends and family achieving their own goals, which can make it difficult not to compare ourselves to others. However, this makes it difficult to achieve our own goals if we are constantly making comparisons. Everybody’s journey is different, and your goals could be completely different to your friends and family members, so be sure to stay in your own lane.
- Avoid ‘all or nothing’ thoughts
Many people view their goals as ‘all or nothing’ and ignore the fact that they may have still made significant progress. Let’s say for example that your goal is to be able to run 25kms without stopping, and by the end of the year you’ve only managed to run 20kms. That is still a great achievement and you should view it as a win. The same is true if it takes you a little longer to achieve your goal than you first expect.
- Tell other people about your goals
A great tip to staying accountable to achieve your new year goals is to tell your friends and family and even ask them to help you to stay on track. Knowing that every time you see that particular friend or family member, you’re going to be asked about your progress, will have a surprising impact on keeping you motivated to achieve your goals.
From our family at Ally Wealth Management to yours, we wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous new year ahead.
Ally Wealth Management is the trusted ally in finance for Australians at home and across the globe. As both Australian expats and residents, the founders of Ally have a unique understanding of the common personal financial challenges faced.
Book your complimentary appointment with our team at Ally Wealth Management to discuss how we can help you to achieve your financial goals.
Ally Wealth Management Pty Ltd is a Corporate Authorised Representative of Sentry Advice Pty Ltd ABN 77 103 642 888. Sentry Advice holds an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) No. 227 748.
General Advice Warning: The information contained herein is of a general nature only and does not constitute personal advice. You should not act on any recommendation without considering your personal needs, circumstances and objectives. We recommend you obtain professional financial advice specific to your circumstances.
