Wow, can you believe that 2018 is almost over? This means you are probably thinking about setting 2019 goals and making a list of New Year’s resolutions. The new year is always the perfect time for looking ahead and thinking about what is possible in the year ahead of you.

However, only about 8% of people actually achieve their resolutions each year. And, only 75% of those who are setting 2019 goals will follow through with them after the first week of the year.

It’s crazy that 25% of people will stop working towards their goals after just the first week!

So today, I'm going to help you find ways stick to your 2019 goals and become successful with them in the new year. Let's make your 2019 New Year’s resolutions and goals a reality!

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And, before you throw out the idea of New Year’s resolutions, or judge people who are setting 2019 goals, please keep this quote from Statistic Brain in mind:

“People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t explicitly make resolutions.”

This is why I believe that setting goals for the new year is so important. Once you have a plan in place, setting 2019 goals and achieving them is something that you can realistically work towards.

I want to make 2019 a great year with you! Let’s work on managing our money better, living our dream life, traveling more (here's how to take a 10 day trip to Hawaii for less than $25!), and succeed with our resolutions!

Here are my tips and advice to help you reach your 2019 life and business goals.

How to make goals for 2019 and then succeed with them:

 

Review your 2018 goals and objectives.

Before you start setting 2019 goals, you should think about how 2018 went for you. When we look back on the previous year, we can see where we struggled, and that helps us see where we need to focus our attention for the next year. And, if you look at what you were successful with, that will help you with setting 2019 goals that you can realistically reach.

Think about the resolutions you have followed through with– goals you’ve met, the successes you’ve had, the struggles you have encountered, and more. Then, think about what you wish you could have done better and how you might be able to achieve those things in 2019.

By completing this step, you'll be able to better figure out what you need to do in 2019 in order to have a successful year.

 

Make sure your 2019 goals are SMART.

You should always make sure that any goal you set for 2019 is SMART.

A SMART goal is:

• Specific – What is your goal? Is it specific enough or is it too broad? What needs to be done for you to achieve your goal? Why do you want to reach your goal?
• Measurable – How can you measure your progress? How will you know if you’re on track?
• Attainable – Can your goal actually be achieved?
• Realistic/relevant – Can you achieve your goal? Is the goal worth it?
• Time – What’s your time frame for reaching your goal?

This is extremely important to remember when setting 2019 goals because a SMART goal is one that you have spent a lot of time thinking about. When you really sit down and think about your goals, you are ensuring that your goals are realistic and attainable.

 

Write down your 2019 goals and objectives.

Actually writing down both your business and personal goals is a very important step as you are setting 2019 goals.

When you physically write down your goals, you are more likely to commit them to memory. You should write down each of your goals and why they are important to you. If I don’t write something down or have it in front of me on a regular basis, I tend to forget about it. And, this definitely goes for goals and resolutions.

If you can’t remember your 2019 goals, it would be very hard to achieve them. Here are some ways to remember your goals, beyond just writing them down in a notebook:

• Create a blog to detail your progress.
• Make a vision board.
• Put post-its around your home that list your yearly goals.
• Place reminders on your phone, calendar, or whatever else you use for your to-do list.
• Be productive. Here are 6 Productivity Tips To Make 2018 Your Best Year Ever

Related tip: If you're looking for a life planner or a 2019 goal planner, I highly recommend checking out Erin Condren to look at their variety of life planners and monthly planners. Planners are great for setting 2019 goals, and they will keep you motivated and on top of whatever you have coming up this year.

 

Create a plan to reach your 2019 goals.

If you want to stay motivated with your goals, then one of the first things you should do is to create a plan for how you will reach them in 2019.

Instead of feeling like you are all over the place as you are setting 2019 goals, a plan will help you focus on the steps it will take to reach those goal.

Your plan should detail the actions you need to take in order to reach your goal, what will happen as you complete each step, when and how you will track your progress, and more. Being detailed with your plan will help you reach your goal and be successful.

Related article: How To Stay Focused, Stay Concentrated, Get Stuff Done & Be Successful

 

Break your goal apart into smaller goals.

As you are setting 2019 goals, it can be really easy to think that you have an entire year to work on them. This might cause you to forget about them in the first place or become overwhelmed with the work it will take to reach your goals.

One way to approach your 2019 goals is to think of 12 separate goals that relate to an overall goal, one for each month of the year. Basically, each month you would complete a step that would get you closer to your overall goal.

This is a great way to stay motivated as you are trying to accomplish bigger goals, and this is because each step will show you that you are making progress towards that goal.

There are even some goals that feel too difficult because you don’t know where to start. When you break your goal down into smaller steps, then it just feels more manageable.

For example, if your goal is to become a blogger in one year (this is just an easy example for me to help you with because it’s exactly what I would do if I was starting a blog for the first time). If blogging is your goal for 2019,  your monthly goals may be something such as:

• • January – Think of a blog idea and a name.
  • February – Start a blog and create a blogging plan.
  • March – Create an editorial calendar.
  • April – Find ways to monetize your blog, like learning about sponsored posts.
  • May – Reach X number of page views.
  • June – Attend a blogging conference.
  • July – Guest post on 10 websites.
  • August – Grow your email list to X subscribers.
  • September – Build an emergency fund for X months.
  • October – Reach X in blogging income.
  • November – Grow a social media account to X.
  • December – Become a blogger!

 

Keep track of your progress and make changes (if needed) to your 2019 goals.

To stay motivated with your yearly goals and to become successful with them, you should review your progress every so often. You may want to check in daily, weekly, or monthly, depending on what type of goal you have and what works for you.

This is why writing down your goals or breaking them into manageable pieces is an important part of setting 2019 goals. You can check in and see where you are at, and it helps if you make notes of your progress as you go. Keeping track of your 2019 goals will tell you whether or not you will reach your goals by showing you what you need to do, if you are behind, and if you need to make a change.

Changing your goals isn’t giving up on them either. It’s making sure that your goals are working for you.

Related: If you are setting 2019 goals that are related to your finances, then I highly recommend that you check out Personal Capital (a free service). 

 

Find small ways to stick to your 2019 goals.

Many will fall off track when it comes to setting 2019 goals and sticking to them because sometimes the steps it takes to achieve them just feel too big. This may cause you to ignore your goal if you are feeling lazy (we’ve all felt lazy before!), tired, and so on.

Unfortunately, all it takes is falling behind on one small part of your goal to completely spiral out of control and falling off track completely.

Forgetting about your goal, for even just a short period of time, may also contribute to you falling off track.

If you are feeling like your goals are too big to approach, find a way to take small steps towards achieving them. These can be little things you do on a daily basis that help change your routine into one that helps you attain your goals.

Remember, even small steps in the right direction can lead you to achieving the goals and resolutions you set this year.

We all have days when we feel “off” or forget about our goals from time to time, and breaking them down can make these types of days much easier to deal with.

Here are several examples of how you can get back on track with your 2019 goals:

• If you are trying to eat in more, do a batch freezer cooking session to stay on top of preparing meals. When you have days when you don’t feel like cooking and are tempted to eat out, you will have a meal to turn to.
• If you’re not feeling like working out, then do a much smaller workout instead. You could do something simple like going for a short walk. Or, you can do strength training while you are cooking a meal, watching TV, getting ready, etc. These are things like reps of squats, lunges, crunches, or jumping jacks.
• If you are setting 2019 goals that are related to your finances, then you can start by automating as much as possible. When you take small steps like this, you will find that your financial goals are less overwhelming and much easier to achieve.

 

Create habits that will help you stay focused on your goal.

When you are setting 2019 goals, it will make them much more attainable if you are able to find ways to make your goals part of your daily routine. Habits are very hard to break, and that’s why they can help you achieve your goals.

If your goal is something like fully funding your emergency fund, then make it a habit to contribute at least X amount every week. If you want to become more fit, make a habit of walking for at least 20 minutes every day.

I know those are small things, but once you create those habits, you can start building on each of those routines more and more until you achieve your goals.

Related article: 10 Statistics About The Money Habits Of The Average American

 

Find ways to motivate yourself when setting 2019 goals.

Motivation is what keeps you going so that you do not quit, and this will help you to reach your goals. If you have some type of motivation in mind while setting 2019 goals, it will help you continue to work towards your goals even when it seems impossible. However, finding motivation can be a hard task for anyone.  

If you are having a hard time finding motivation, here are a few things you can do to get back on track so you don’t give up on your goals:

• Create a vision board and keep it somewhere that you will see on a daily basis.
• Make it a friendly competition (read more below).
• Find ways to reward yourself as you get closer to your goal.

Related reading: How To Stay Motivated And Become Successful

 

Make reaching your 2019 personal goals a friendly competition.

One great way to stay on track with your goals for 2019 is to turn your goal setting into a competition between you and someone else.

Finding an accountability partner can make reaching your goals more fun and potentially easier.

This works because you won’t be going at it alone, you’ll have someone to talk to who is going through a similar process as you, you’ll have someone else pushing you to succeed, and more.

When you start setting 2019 goals, think about who else in your life might also be trying to work towards the same things. This can be someone you know, such as a friend, family member, coworker, and so on. They can even be a stranger, such as someone you met online who has a similar goal in mind.

Also, when you have a partner, you are likely to try things outside of your comfort zone, and often we find the most success in the things that scare us.

Related reading: When Was The Last Time You Did Something That Scared You?

 

Don’t be afraid to reward yourself when you reach your goal.

I know some of you might be thinking that setting 2019 goals and reaching them should be enough of a reward, and while that is true, it might be helpful to think of other ways to reward yourself.

Everyone loves a reward, and they might give you just a little more motivation to work towards your goals. You can even write your reward next to your goal, put it on your vision board, etc.

Your reward doesn’t have to be related to your goal either, and it shouldn’t be too big that it completely throws off all of the hard work you have done throughout the year. It could be something like a nice dinner out. Or, it could even be something like taking a day off of work to do something fun you’ve been dying to try.

Have you thought about your new year resolutions? What are your 2019 goals? What 2019 goal setting tips do you have to share?

The post Setting 2019 Goals- Let’s make this year the best! appeared first on Making Sense Of Cents.

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