7 Ways To Set Goals You Will Actually Keep: Part 2

In part one, we discovered the origin of New Year's resolutions, their abysmal success rate, and the first 4 strategies that will help you set goals that you will keep. In part two, we continue with the next 4 strategies that will help you beat the odds.

5. Set fewer goals!

Focus on quality not quantity. Most people abandon their New Year's resolution by the end of February just because it is too much change at once.  

If you have 25 goals, all of which require a lot of time and energy, you will mentally burn out before you even make a dent. Simplify. Try focusing on one goal a month for example.

Writer, Scott Young, in his post Work Less to Get More Done, says "Nobody cares how much work you intended to accomplish, only how much you actually finish. This tendency to grossly overestimate your ability to get work done in the short-term is a common one."

By setting fewer goals and actually doing them, you will see and feel your accomplishments.

6. Have a plan!

At the start of the New Year, social media is filled with aspirations to be happier in the new year. The coach in me thought, "Great! What are you going to do about it?"
What is the plan for achieving this happiness? How will you know once you get there? We have to plan how we will accomplish our goals. 

Without an action  plan, a goal is just a wish! Depending on the goal, your plan may be simple or complex. Length, style, formatting, and font don't matter. Having a plan matters. 


Plan for the emotional setbacks as well as the tactical ones. At the first speed bump, the rose colored glasses come off. Then you realize this is going to be harder than you expected. 

Sometimes those setback can feed your insecurity. You question if you have what it takes. The road block will shake your confidence. Include emotional recovery in your roadblock plan. If you fall off track, how will you feel emotionally? Guilt? Shame? Fear? How do you usually handle that emotion? What can you do differently so that you don't pitch a tent in the abyss of self pity? 

7. Resist the race!

New Year's day is like a big starting gate. We all line up at the gate waiting for the clock to strike midnight so we can race toward completing those resolutions. Who can get there first and in the fastest time? 

First and fastest matters big in some instances, but when it come to setting certain goals...who says we have to race? Who says we have to start January 1st? Who are we racing against? The proverbial Jones-es?  Coworkers? 

It is better to begin your plan after you have weighed the pros, cons, and made a plan. Again this doesn't have to take months of research. It can be done in a few hours.... and they don't even have to be consecutive hours! You will work more confidently towards your goals because you are marching to your own drum...no one else's.

Need help? I am here to help walk you through making these plans and all you goal setting needs. Contact me for free!

How do you make sure you stick to goal until it's finished?