How to Set Goals for the New Year: A Simple Hack

I've never been very good at New Year's Resolutions. In fact, I struggle with the simple act of setting goals. Why? I'm very unorganized by nature. My mind is a tad bit chaotic-- okay, more than a tad. My mind jumps from one thought to the next, skipping over things of importance and leaping to the next exciting thought.

Setting a goal is difficult for me. When I hear about the importance of setting goals, I can't help but agree. I hear these entrepreneurs and visionaries speak of the success their goals have yielded. I get excited about the very idea of setting goals. Then I sit down to set a goal. And I feel this great pressure. I have to get the goal right. And once I figure out the perfect goal, I have to make it concrete somehow. I have to write it down in a prominent place, or make a beautiful vision board, or... tattoo it on the back of my hand?

And in addition to all of that, I have a many goals floating around in my head. So when it comes time to pick just one-- one goal to set, to make concrete, and to achieve-- I can't even pick between the numerous ideas in my mind. Take New Year's Resolutions for example. It's the start of the New Year, a fresh start. The perfect time to reflect on the past and think about the future. But picking one thing to focus on in the next year? It's just so difficult for me.

So this year, I've got a strange New Year's Resolution. It's something slightly ironic and very meta.

My New Year's Resolution is to have a New Year's Resolution.

Despite my rough history with goal-setting, I feel confident in myself this time around. I feel confident that I will be able to remember the goals I set, and that I'll be able to keep working towards them. I've come up with a simple hack. It's a specific way to make my goals concrete, it's easy, and it will provide me with gentle reminders. Let's walk through this simple hack together.

Pull out your new planner for the upcoming year.

If you don't use a planner daily, then pull out your phone calendar. The key is to make it as easy on yourself as possible.

Flip to June.

Halfway through the year. A good check in point.

Now, think about some things you would like to do or work on in the New Year. Don't limit yourself, it can be anything. You want to work out, you want to build a website, you want to finally watch Mad Men.

Turn those thoughts into questions. And write them down in the June section of your planner.

Write them down, and then, you'll get to ask yourself these questions in six months.

"Are you working out consistently?"

"Have you built a website?"

"Have you started watching Mad Men?"

These questions can be as specific or as open-ended as you need them to be. The point is, they redirect you to a goal you were thinking about at the beginning of the year, six months later. Here are some of the questions I wrote in my planner:

"Do you own a car?" (Something I hope to do soon)

"Are you writing consistently?" (A habit I hope to keep up)

"Are you happy?" (A good one for everyone to add to their list)

I'm already loving this hack, and here are a few reasons why.

1. Asking questions

In six months, I will get to ask myself these questions. That gives me room to answer yes, or no, or something in between. For example, "I don't own a car yet, but I've almost saved up enough money." Using questions rather than statements makes it less of a harsh deadline, and eliminates the shame you might feel if you haven't achieved that goal yet. Goals should be flexible, and there shouldn't be shame attached to them, especially if you're working hard, but just haven't quite achieved them yet.

2. Writing it down in a place where I'll see it

Remember how I said that I struggle with making goals concrete? For some reason, I could never think of a good place to write my goals down. I would pin them on my cork board, but then forget that they were there. I write them in my journal, but then never look back at them. With this strategy, the questions are written in my planner that I use everyday. When I turn to June 1st, I'll see them, no question about it.

3. Keeping it open-ended

There's no one right way to set a goal. I like that I can write as many questions as I want, or as few. I can ask about different topics and different areas of my life. I can write a few questions in March as well if I think it will help. It's a simple hack, and it isn't strict.

After writing down my questions, I finally feel like I have truly set a New Year's Resolution (a few New Year's Resolutions, actually). I can't wait to answer my questions in six months, to see how far I have come. Maybe I'll write another article about it then!

If you're someone who has struggled to set goals, I hope this hack helps you too. And remember, although the new year is a great time to use this strategy, you can use it any time of the year. There is never a bad time to set a goal!