Setting a Resolution to Keep Your Resolution

How many of you set New Year’s resolutions? How many of you have stuck with your New Year’s resolution? If so, great job! You made it through a week! The statistics are pretty high that many people will make it through the first week but beyond that the number of successful people start to dwindle. Don't fret though, there are some things you can do to increase the likelihood that you will be successful. One way is to see if your resolutions is a SMART resolution. Doran (1981) came up with the SMART acronym for setting good goals that applies really well to resolutions:

• S-specific
• M-measurable
• A- achievable/attainable 
• R- realistic
• T- time bound

Ask yourself if the resolution that you set meets these criteria. If not, it may need adjusted. For example, if your resolution was to be healthier it may need to be more specific and measurable. A possible alternative to "be healthier" might be "get 30 minutes of exercise before going to work each day."  In addition to making your resolutions SMART there are a few other things to keep in mind:

• It may be best to narrow down to one resolution rather than an entire list.
• It can be helpful to enlist support from friends, family, and other important people in your life.
• Reward yourself along the way.
• Make setting goals for yourself a year long practice instead of waiting until January to get started. 
• Check with your doctor if your resolutions involve any significant health or physical changes to make sure you are in good health and to get helpful tips.
• Give yourself positive affirmations to encourage you along the way. These can be written on sticky notes, put on your screen saver, or you can even use websites like http://textitlater.com/ to schedule a text to be sent to yourself later.
• You can always enlist the help of a psychologist to help you set good goals, change behaviors, and find ways to stick to them.

Doran, G. T. (1981). There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management's goals and objectives. Management Review, Volume 70, Issue 11, pp. 35-36.