How to Create Goals for 2023

Welcome to the end of January where most of us start to slack on our New Years Resolutions, if we haven't already given up by now. We have nearly made through the ickiest month of the year, but our discipline and self control may have started to slip. The resolutions aren't sticking.

According to Forbes, 55% of people keep their resolution for less than one year. 19% of those people stop pursuing their resolutions after one month. In fact, many people have dubbed January 17 as "Ditch New Years Resolutions Day".

Last year, I reexamined how I make resolutions. I wanted to create habits that would last all year, not just the first couple weeks. I found a system that worked for me and didn’t leave me feeling like a failure. If you’re looking for a place to refresh your mindset about goals, below are five suggestions for creating goals for the new year and beyond, no matter what you want to accomplish.

1. Pick a word for the year.

Is there a trait or an area that you want to improve in your life? Is there an aspect of your life that you feel you need to work on overall? Do you want to become more intentional, adventurous, or consistent in your life?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may benefit from picking a word of the year. For me, a word of the year serves as a baseline for what I build my goals on. For example, my word this year is consistent. I then look at areas of my life that I feel are inconsistent and make small goals so I can be more consistent in the future.

For more word of the year ideas, click here!

2. Make monthly goals instead.

Having one goal for the whole year can be intimidating! What if in July I don’t feel like accomplishing my resolution to run 10 miles everyday? What if something prevents me from completing a goal throughout the year? Life can be unpredictable, so it’s difficult to go after one thing all year long, especially if it’s something that doesn’t align with your work, personal, or financial reality.

Additionally, it’s easier to procrastinate a year-long goal. I’ll start eating healthier in November or begin saving money tomorrow, but not today.

These reasons are why I practice setting monthly goals instead. Eating one green thing everyday in March feels a lot easier than eating healthier all year.

I usually pick a word for the year and then pick monthly goals based on that word. Last year, my word was intentional. So, my monthly goal in January was to move my body intentionally, whether that be weight lifting, walking, or stretching. In February, my goal changed to weight lifting three days a week.

Monthly goals allow us to be more flexible and change what we want to improve.

3. Pick a big goal and work backwards.

Breaking a big goal down into smaller steps is incredibly helpful. If you want to stick to a year-long goal, breaking it down into bite-sized steps helps it feel more achievable. This works really well with goals you can measure, like finances. For example, if you want to save $5,000 this year, then you need to save roughly $416 a month, which breaks down into $104 a week.

Or if you want to eat healthier this year, you can break down that goal into meal plans for each month, which turns into what you buy weekly for groceries.

The small things add up!

4. Look at areas of your life and make goals for each area.

This is helpful when you want to be mindful of all aspects of your life. Creating small goals in each area can help you be more intentional or consistent across the board. Areas of your life could include: physical health, finances, personal life, professional life, mental health, spiritual journey, family life, relational health, friendships, etc. There’s many different ways to break down your life, but focusing on a few of them each year helps making goals less overwhelming.

5. Talk with someone and make a goal together.

Whether its your roommate, spouse, friend or sibling, having a sharing goal with someone makes you more motivated to accomplish that goal. It’s can be rewarding to do things alone, but it can be even better when you share your life with someone this way. You can do this with a year-long goal or monthly goal, but either way, it’s fun to have a friend with you on the journey.

Remember, it’s okay if you fail! The biggest thing that has helped me is taking the pressure off of myself to accomplish everything and take small steps daily.

What are your goals for 2023? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,

Abby