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#FedLifeHacks, Health & Wellness

MAKE YOUR RESOLUTIONS STICK IN THE NEW YEAR WITH SMART GOALS

byDan Jackman/January 3, 2024
Two men and two women hold a plank position in the gym while smiling. Keeping true to your new year's resolution workout plan can be tough. We have some ideas to help make your resolution stick in the new year.

Last January, I was set to move through 2023 with a few resolutions I was pretty excited about. I picked one resolution for each of the eight dimensions of wellness – social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, physical, environmental, financial, and occupational. Sounds like a good plan, right?

Of the eight resolutions I started off with last January, I followed through with just three to completion. So, why was I able to follow through with some while others were left behind?

I wasn’t alone. According to a Marist poll, it’s estimated that 44% of Americans set New Year’s resolutions. Of that number, just 9% successfully follow through with the entirety of their resolution. Dive deeper in the data and the stats look bleak for New Year’s resolvers, 23% of people quit by the end of the first week and 43% are out by February.

It’s not all doom and gloom. With the right plan, you can set yourself up for success on your upcoming journey.

Joining us in the conversation:

Picking the Right Resolution

“Most resolutions are born out of a recognition that we are engaging in a habit or pattern that is not healthy, or that is a barrier to being authentic to our values and recognizing our potential or purpose,” said Dr. Monica Jackman, an occupational therapist who works with both children and adults.

So, what makes the “right” resolution? “From an occupational therapy perspective, a “right” resolution is a behavior, action or way of responding to life’s challenges that is meaningful and aligned with personal values and interests,” said Dr. Jackman. “In turn these goals can be realistically integrated into your life routines as a healthy habit.”

Many people create resolutions with good intentions but they make four common mistakes which can prevent them from achieving their goals: 

  • Adding resolutions to their already busy lives as an extra thing to do, instead of integrating the behavior change into the rhythm and routine of their daily lives.

  • Choosing resolutions that are not realistic, attainable, personally meaningful, or in line with their intrinsic motivation for change.

  • Viewing the resolution as something temporary that is a means to a finite measurable end goal, instead of viewing it as a healthy habit that becomes part of their way of living.

  • Making a resolution to “stop” doing an unhealthy behavior without making a resolution to start doing something else that will meet the need that the unhealthy or problematic coping pattern was trying to fulfill. For example, to stop yelling at your kids instead of start pausing before reacting when feeling angry at your kids.

We have some ideas to help make your resolution stick in the new year.

“The best thing for picking the ‘right’ resolution is being realistic and starting small,” said Chelsea Mock, a registered Dietician and Health & Fitness Coach. “Many clients will choose weight loss and that’s not something that is going to happen overnight. Pick small and tangible one-day-at-a-time goals to start with that will aid you in getting to what you are trying to achieve long-term.”

Create Your Plan

Some may recognize the SMART Goal strategy from your time in college or even projects at work. SMART Goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. With a specific set of criteria, SMART Goals can help ensure that objectives are clearly defined, attainable and within a defined timeframe. Most importantly, by working through each step, you can identify instances where a priority or resource may not align with your overall goal.

Checkout our printable resolution workbook to aid you in your 2023 goal setting.

SMART GOAL WORKBOOK

A good example of how a SMART Goal can apply in the development of your own goals is with the example of my failed 2022 goal of spending 15 minutes engaged in focused stretching exercises everyday. This goal now makes its triumphant return to the goal list for 2023!

By applying the SMART Goal methodology, you can flesh out the specifics of the goal, the who, what, when, why, how, etc, something I did not previously do in 2022. Without a detailed roadmap for this goal, my enthusiasm for my resolution quickly waned and fizzled out with little fanfare.

For this coming year, here’s what my SMART Goal looks like for this goal:

SMART Goals can assist you in making your resolutions stick
  • Specific

    Because of prolonged time sitting in the office, poor posture, and intense weightlifting programming, I have developed knots in my shoulder blades in addition to tightness in my neck and shoulders. I will integrate regular and focused stretching exercises targeted to relieve the affected areas. I will schedule the 15 minute stretch period on my calendar in conjunction with a workout or during a period of prolonged sitting while in the office.

  • Measurable

    I will keep a journal detailing current discomfort, pain and tightness on a scale of 1 to 5 along with tracking stretching exercises completed on each day. I will also have a Physical Therapist periodically check affected areas and note their professional opinion on my progress.

  • Achievable

    This goal will utilize professional guidance from a physical therapist with a range of focused stretching movements that I can do either at home or at the gym.

  • Relevant

    Improving current back tightness and reducing knots will improve overall quality of life and allow for continued participation in strenuous strength and conditioning programs.

  • Time-Bound

    The goal will be to consistently achieve a level 1 within four months and continue programming moving forward as a part of my lifestyle.

By spending some time fleshing out my goal, I’ve been able to explore why I want to do this, develop a goal aligned with my values, how I’m going to meet the stated goal, and regularly defined milestones.

Leaping Over Barriers

Just because it is January 1, doesn’t necessarily mean it is the right time for your goal. “So much of what we do is so heavily influenced by our environments, whether physical, social, or temporal,” says Dr. Jackman. “For example, if we make a goal to start running around our neighborhood for exercise in the middle of winter, we may never achieve this goal because the timing and location aren’t conducive to success for a beginning runner.” 

You don’t have to wait until spring to start running, but you will need to take into account the various barriers that may affect your plan when developing your SMART Goals. This may mean finding an indoor track during the extreme cold, waking up a little earlier to get a run in before getting the kids ready for school, working through the anxiety of a challenge that is outside of your comfort zone, or working with a trainer to help you develop a safe running and stretching routine.

Everyone has different barriers, but we all need to make an effort in some way to structure and organize our time according to our values, barriers, and overall goals. 

Another barrier to success on your journey is in the day-to-day consistency with your new goal or routine. “Habit stacking is a great way to add something to your routine,” said Molly Ontiveros, a licensed therapist and director of wellness programming for high school students. 

So, what does habit stacking look like? “If you want to drink more water, have a cup of water while your coffee is brewing. If you want to meal prep more, save a specific TV show that you only watch while meal prepping,” explains Ontiveros. “Rather than cutting out junk food, add something like carrots to your plate alongside the chips, or fruit alongside chocolate.”

Find a Community

Setting up a community and space supporting towards reaching your goal can lead to better success than going at it alone.

Accountability from those joining on your journey is key, explains Mock. “Community equals accountability. That accountability can be motivating to have someone check in and make sure everything is ok.”

“I think the new year is a great marker for reflecting on the past year’s wins and challenges and setting intentions or goals for the year to come,” said Ontiveros. “Doing that with friends or family members can be a great exercise. Asking each person to identify their ‘win’ for the past year before even focusing on the next year can be pretty challenging. Throughout the year, sharing wins with your community can be an excellent way to stay motivated to keep up a change.”

What If You Miss Your Goal?

New Year’s resolvers typically report making the same pledge for 5 years or more before they manage a 6-month success. For those who fail this year, 60% will make the same resolution again next year. But it’s not all doom and gloom, right? That’s why you have read this article to this point, to work towards success with your goals in 2023. 

But, even with a well thought out and developed goal there will be tough days or even weeks or months. Here are the final thoughts from our experts as you embark on your journey.

  • Dr. Monica Jackman, Occupational Therapist & Author

    Resolutions, or goals to make a behavioral change, are like trying to carve a new path into the earth with a wheelbarrow that has been going the same exact route for so long that it sits comfortably in a smoothed-out path with deep ruts for the wheels that make it effortless to maneuver. The path itself may go through dangerous or unpleasant territory, but it is familiar and easy.

    When we start a new habit, it’s like taking a new route over rocks, roots, and terrain that is unfamiliar and harder to navigate. It is effortful and uncertain. But if we keep at it, we can create a new path, a safer and more effective path that may even have a better view. Some days, this hard work may be so exhausting that it exceeds the effort you have inside you, and you find yourself slipping back to that easier route, into the same old ruts. This is ok- it is a temporary and forgivable detour. Give yourself the same compassion that you would give to a friend who has stumbled.

  • Molly Ontiveros, Licensed Therapist

    People tend to take on a very shame based approach when they ‘fail,’ beating themselves up for not being able to stick with something or not being good enough. If we instead give ourselves grace with resolutions or New Years goals, then we are able to stick with it. Life gets in the way sometimes and we aren’t always able to stick with something. Maybe we get sick and fall off our workout routine or we give into an old habit we were trying to break. Allowing ourselves to mess up and take on an “oh well, let’s try again tomorrow” approach is more sustainable.

    I’ve talked with a lot of clients recently about naming the ‘Hypercritical Coach’ in their head (think the coach who only ever yells at you) to help them recognize that style of coaching almost never works. When folks can identify the coaches, teachers, or mentors in their life that they have learned or grown best with, they can say it is a coach who is supportive and encouraging even when pointing out ways they can improve. We can cultivate that “Kind Coach’ voice in our own head.

  • Chelsea Mock, Licensed Dietician and Health & Fitness Coach

    Don’t get frustrated. With anything you have to take the good with the bad. There are ebbs and flows, but the biggest thing is not to give up. If you slip, accept it, realize that doesn’t mean you can’t get back up, just start fresh the next day. Each day is a new opportunity, whether to restart or inch a little closer to your goals.

On behalf of all of us at FEEA, we wish you happy and healthy year ahead and success in all of your goals, dreams, and ambitions for 2024 and beyond.

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The information provided in this piece is for your convenience and informational purposes only and not to be construed as professional advice. FEEA and its coauthors and sponsors are not liable for any losses or damages related to actions or failure to act with regard to the content in this piece.

Would you like to reprint this piece in your agency human resource, federal employee association, or union local newsletter? You can do so at no cost by contacting [email protected] with your request.

Subscribe to FEEA’s Newsletter

Checkout our printable resolution workbook to aid you in your 2024 goal setting.

SMART GOAL WORKBOOK

Tags#SMARTgoals, #fedlifehacks, #goals, #healthandwellness, #healthyliving, #resolution
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