My good friend Brooke asked me to write a post to “inspire the world” to make resolutions for each month. As it is the new year and it’s time for me to make some new goals, I decided I would indeed write a post with tips that have helped me set goals and keep them.
Helpful Point #1 - Greater Affections
A favorite quote of mine by Thomas Chalmers says, “We lose our addiction to lesser affections by being captivated by a greater affection.” I love this quote because if I want to see a change in my life, I first have to come to see that the new thing is worth the sacrifice of the old. This is definitely true in goal setting/keeping.
Helpful Point #2 - Dream a Little
Make a list of all the things you wish were different about your life or changes you would like to make. I have some categories below to use for brainstorming. At the bottom I have a more detailed list of what goals in these categories might look like.
-Physical Health
-Mental Health
-Spiritual Health
-Social Health
-Time Management/Evaluation
-Time Management/Evaluation
-Organizational Health
-Things that stir your affection for Jesus
-Things that hinder your affection for Jesus
Helpful Point #3 - 100 Days
I read a blog post a while back and was challenged to think of how I wanted my life to be different in 100 days. The post suggested working toward a goal in three different areas such as an art project, a new habit, and a health goal. Anyone can do something for 3 months and be able to see progress in that amount of time. If that seems daunting, make a 30 day goal or choose one goal for 100 days.
Helpful Point #4 - Start small and make attainable goals
As mentioned above, I don’t recommend trying to take on more than 3 goals at a time or trying to do something for the rest of your life. I might even suggest to choose just one simple thing to make a habit.
Helpful Point #5 - Don’t expect to do it everyday
I keep ridiculous checklists (as seen in the photo above) but I don’t beat myself up if I fail to work towards my goals for a few days. Rather I celebrate the days that I get to add checkmarks because it means I’ve succeeded some days. I also use it as a means of accountability. When I get to the end of a week and realize that I exercised zero days, it motivates me to rethink my schedule to make exercise a priority
Helpful Point #6 - Resolutions don’t have to be laborious or involve large chunks of time
Resolutions don’t have to involve a huge sacrifice of time or effort. As mentioned above, a previous resolution of mine was to floss daily. This goal only took 60 seconds daily. On another occasion, I resolved to not complain for a month. One year I chose twelve things I loved (chocolate milk, sunflower seeds, movies, etc.) and decided to give one of the twelve up each month.
Helpful Point #7 - Find a way to stay accountable
Find a buddy to make a goal with you and cheer with you. Consider having some consequences if you fail. One time my roommate and I made a deal that if either one of us failed our three month goal then the goal-breaker had to clean the whole apartment for a month. We both managed to succeed in that goal. Another idea is to post your goals in a prominent place to remind you to stay at it.
I have added a more detailed list of resolution ideas. Don’t let the list overwhelm you. It is meant to give some simple and complex resolution ideas. I suggest choosing 1-3 goals. Another suggestion is to make a list of 12 things you want to try and do 1 of the 12 each month. Last year I wrote out a manifesto of things I would like to see in my life. I saved the document on my computer and tweak it from time to time. I typically set goals for about 6 weeks at a time and reevaluate at that point by replacing formed habits with new ones to form (from the manifesto) or continuing on with the ones not yet mastered. Feel free to comment below with tips for keeping resolutions or some past/present resolutions.
Physical Health
-Make an exercise goal
-Eat more veggies
-Sweets only once a week
-Drink more water
-Start taking vitamins
-Start flossing
-Try a Couch to 5k program
-Take a walk outside daily
-Get more sleep
-Sleep less
Mental Health
-Schedule in quiet time daily
-Do a puzzle
-Play a musical instrument daily
-Turn off the TV and read a book
-Learn to play a musical instrument or speak a new language
-Have a mid-day five minute daily stillness appointment. Set your cell phone alarm to remind you.
-Take deep breaths
-Work on a craft or do something creative weekly
Spiritual Health
-Daily time in the Word
-Quality time in the Word
-Change up your quiet time, make it a special time
-Fast regularly
-Practice listening while praying
-Make a set time for extended prayer daily/weekly
-Go for a prayer walk weekly
-Scripture Memory (Go here for tips)
-Spend time daily/weekly with someone with different beliefs than you
-Try to
-Implement a sabbath or rest time in your week
Social Health
-Have a date with your spouse weekly, monthly
-Schedule a date monthly with your child
-Find someone to mentor
-Find someone to mentor you
-Call a sibling every other week
-Send someone a package or hand written letter monthly
-Find a way to serve someone regularly
-Hug someone daily
-Give a daily compliment
Time Management/Evaluation
Time Management/Evaluation
-Fast from entertainment, technology, or information
-Fast from busyness for a few weeks, clear your calendar
-Make your day top heavy doing the most dreaded thing first so it doesn’t weigh you down the rest of your day.
-Map out your week
-Write out your week in 15 minute intervals to see where your time is spent/wasted
-Unplug for certain hours daily
-Tie certain activities to certain times or days
-Fast from busyness for a few weeks, clear your calendar
-Make your day top heavy doing the most dreaded thing first so it doesn’t weigh you down the rest of your day.
-Map out your week
-Write out your week in 15 minute intervals to see where your time is spent/wasted
-Unplug for certain hours daily
-Tie certain activities to certain times or days
Organization
-Purge your home regularly from accumulated clutter.
-Choose a set location for your keys, coat, etc. and make it a habit to put it there
-Resolve to do something as soon as you think of it
-Keep a running to-do list on your phone notepad. Jot things down when you think of it. (Our minds only have space for 5-9 items at a time, writing down some of those frees up space in your mind to focus on what is most important.)
Miscellaneous
-Do a random act of kindness daily for strangers
-Do a random an anonymous act of kindness daily/weekly for a friend
-Fast from complaining
-Keep a thankfulness journal (This can be done in the notepad of your smart phone)
-Have a candlelit dinner weekly
-Clean the kitchen by candlelight
-Hang a picture to envision the end goal
-Celebrate small victories - take a thumbs up picture or have a treat
Things that stir my affection for Jesus
-Lit candles
-Burgess Falls
-Sermons by Matt Chandler or John Piper
-Psalms
-Solitude/Being still
-David Nevue’s music
-Sunsets
-Solid devotionals by the Puritans or George MacDonald
-Slowing down
-Walking and praying
Things that hinder my affection for Jesus
-Busy schedule
-Me-centeredness
-Not keeping my Sabbaths/giving my brain a break
-My to-do list
-Entertainment
-Facebook
-Sleeping in late
Sources I have found helpful:
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