How to write smart new years resolutions

How to write smart new years resolutions

byRenee Conoulty
Hey Everyone!

How often have you made vague new year's resolutions only to have them to fall by the wayside. I'll never drink again. Sound familiar? Broad goals might be easy to make, but they are hard to keep. This year, make your resolutions smart ones.



S - Specific

No more "be healthier" resolutions this year. Be more specific. Break your broad goal into steps or narrow it down. "Be healthier" may become "improve my fitness". "Better myself" may become "read more books".

M - Measurable

How do you know when you've achieved your goal? Choose a benchmark to you need to reach to know you have succeeded. You may choose to measure your fitness by timing how long it takes you to run a certain distance. Read more books? Work out how many books you usually read, then choose a number to aim for.

A - Achievable

If you spend most of your time sitting down, then winning the next marathon might not be a realistic goal. Completing a marathon might be though. If you haven't read a book since high school, then my goal from last year of read 200 books in 12 months might be beyond you, but read 12 books may be a more achievable goal. Choose a resolution that you have a chance at succeeding with.


R - Relevant

Choose a resolution that is relevant to your life and you are more likely to stick with it. Work towards something you care about.

T - Time bound

Set a time limit for your resolution. When do you want to achieve your goal by? The end of the year? Within six months? Choose a time and set yourself a reminder to check if you have succeeded. If not, don't give up, just set a new goal and keep at it.



Your "be healthier" resolution might look like this: I will improve my fitness by jogging for a solid ten minutes on the treadmill, three times a week, by the end of March. To achieve that, you may need to start out walking for ten minutes, then build up to walking for five and jogging for five.

Your "better myself" resolution may look like this: I will broaden my knowledge by reading 12 books by the end of the year.

If these resolutions aren't relevant to you, don't just call them SMAT goals, make up your own.

My SMART new years resolution is: I will finish writing the first draft of my novel by the end of February. What are yours?