New Year, Same You with New Goals!
New Year, Same You with New Goals!
by Heather Evans, DPT
Happy 2022! This is the time of year when everyone is talking about resolutions – love them or hate them. You will also hear “New Year, New You,” but I don’t love this saying because it implies that something is wrong with the way you are now. Instead, think of this as “New Year, Same You with New Goals!”
Whether or not you jump on the resolution bandwagon, I always encourage people to make and set achievable goals. I LOVE goals (everyone here at EYP loves goals, you should sit in on one of our meetings). So, whether you put them in resolution form or whether you are like me and make daily, monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals, let’s talk about how to help you successfully meet them.
First, goals need to be specific steps. So instead of, “I want to lose ten pounds,” try “I will walk for 20 minutes, 5 days this week” or “I will eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables today.” When goals are huge, we become overwhelmed, but breaking things down makes them achievable. Let’s consider a pelvic floor example. Too broad: “I want to stop going to the bathroom all the time.” Instead, try “I will decrease my coffee intake from 2 cups to 1 cup today” or “I will record a 3-day bladder diary to discuss with my pelvic PT.” How about a self-care goal? Too broad: “I want to add self-care every day.” Better: “I will complete 10 minutes of guided meditation today” or “I will turn off all screens at 9 pm and read a book for at least 10 minutes.”
Second, write down your goals. Goals in your head are great, but you need to record them to really meet them. Everyone will have different plans that work for them, but I wanted to share what works for me. I use a paper planner, but you can also do this on your phone! I write down at least four goals for the month. For example, my January 2022 goals are to complete the art for my upcoming podcast, choose a website domain, complete the prereading for my upcoming PT course in February, and to finish one specific section of another course I have going. Notice going back to the last tip – I didn’t just write down “make a website” (which I would never get done by January), I made it more achievable by instead writing to choose the domain. I also didn’t write down the name of the course I was taking, I specifically wrote down a section to finish. Then, on each day, I write goals for the day starting with the ones that MUST be done with at least one that I’d like to get done. Be honest when you think about your day. If you have a day full of work and multiple practices for the kids, you may create two goals, not six. You may be able to make more goals on a weekend, but be honest – if it’s something you don’t want to do, try just one of those per day. For example, I need to clean my whole kitchen but today’s goal is to clean the fridge. Here at EYP, we also like to create quarterly goals (what do you want to complete in the next three months) as well as yearly goals. Once you know what you want to accomplish in the next 3-12 months, that will help guide you to create your monthly and daily goals.
Lastly, break your goals into different parts of your life. So, when tackling your goal list, think about goals for your work, your family, and yourself. There will always be times when there are more goals in one section than the other, but as best you can, try to split goals between these areas so you remain motivated, avoid burnout, and continue to take care of yourself. For example, my goals for last year (2021) were work: finish the NICU Mama Survival Guide book (done!), self: finish Ironman Florida (done!), and family: have the kids practice their reading 5 days/week (still working on this one).
So, as we begin to move into 2022, get excited about all the opportunities you have and think about what you would like to accomplish – then put pen to paper (or fingers to laptop) and write down those goals!
*For further reading on setting and reaching goals, I highly recommend the book, Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis