A new year provides an opportunity to set new goals, but we can’t always achieve them. Experts give tips on how to make a list with possible goals
With the beginning of a New Year’sIt’s common for people to become more introspective, start re-evaluating their dreams, and set new goals. There are those who want to enter higher education, go on a family trip, play sports or get their dream job. It’s almost as if setting goals is an end-of-the-year tradition.
The problem arises when these goals are a source of frustration for not having been achieved. And this is quite common, as indicated by a study published in International journal of environmental research and public health. According to the survey, coordinated by researchers from universities in the United Kingdom and Australia, 64% of people abandon their New Year’s resolutions in less than a month. Another 54% usually carry unfulfilled goals from the previous year into the following year.
However, for Daniel Kupermann, a psychoanalyst and professor at the Institute of Psychology of the University of São Paulo (IPUSP), the most important thing is not to achieve goals, but to maintain the ability to dream and chart paths to make those dreams TRUE. “Failing to define goals is a sign of impotence,” he reflects, who argues that investing energy in future projections is what takes people out of their inertia and sets them in motion.
And the importance of that has become very clear during the pandemic. “What has happened in this period is that people have been paralyzed, without the possibility of investing in future projects. Even the goals they set for themselves have collapsed quickly,” she says. In this scenario, many have faced frustration. Kupermann explains that this feeling is part of the goal-setting process and ensures that this need not be a cause for concern. “There are people who prefer not to make plans for fear of being frustrated. But, one way or another, we will be frustrated and that’s not the problem. The problem is losing the ability to dream.”
Either way, no one likes to feel frustrated. The best way to avoid this feeling is to create a list of realistic and achievable goals. Consult the advice of the experts consulted by Estadão to build good resolutions for the new year.
Put your ideas on paper
It can be on a piece of paper or on the mobile app. The important thing is to be able to visualize what your wishes are for the year which begins. And it is important that this happens without creating barriers. The recommendation is to let go of judgments and let your will flow naturally. A few questions can help in this process: who do I want to be at the end of next year? What aspects of my life would I like to change? Will I regret not doing something? What can I do to feel more fulfilled?
Lygia Pontes, consultant in Productivity and Happiness at Work, advises taking this list slowly. It can even take longer than a single day if needed. The important thing is that you put together all your projections for the end of the year. “The list is going to get pretty long and that’s okay at this point,” she explains. “This is important so you don’t leave out something that’s relevant, but because you believe it won’t work, you end up giving up before you take the first step.”
set your priorities
With the first version of your goal list in hand, it’s time to prioritize what makes sense for the specific year. And one way to do this is to define the areas of intervention for the year, as indicated by Thais Godinho, author of the book Vida Organizada and the blog of the same name, who has been teaching since 2006 to have a regular routine through personal organization.
“By defining an area of focus for the year, you can look at all the businesses in the list to see which ones are related to that area,” she explains. And there are several options you can choose to focus on: finances, studies, spirituality, career, relationships, and many more. “It doesn’t mean you won’t do anything in other areas, but when you pick a focus, it’s easier to allocate time, resources, and energy to getting that area in order,” she says.
For example: if in 2023 you decide that your area of interest is health, chances are that between learning a new language and practicing daily physical exercise, the second option will have a higher priority in your list of goals . “Just because we can’t do everything at once, we have to prioritize,” she says.
Another way to prioritize is to think about your short-, medium-, and long-term goals, which usually take more than 12 months to achieve. If your biggest goal is to buy an apartment in a few years, it might be interesting to consider what can be done in the current year to achieve that goal further down the road. This can help you direct efforts and know, among many set goals, which ones have a higher priority.
It may be necessary to recalculate the route
Your list of goals is not a sentence written in stone. Many things can happen during the year: expectations change, unexpected events happen and desires are no longer a priority. “And there’s no problem leaving goals behind,” Thais says. According to the specialist, the target list is a route, which can be changed in the same way that GPS changes the route when there is an obstacle ahead.
“Anytime something interrupts the flow of planning, you can ask yourself if what was planned earlier in the year still makes sense,” she advises. Depending on the answer, you may need to drop your goal or just make deadline changes, for example.
This is what happened to 22-year-old student Paola Nakamura. Her initial plans were for an exchange program in the state of Virginia, USA, in 2017. But unforeseen events forced the young woman to postpone her dream until 2023. She is now making plans to do an exchange program in Canada at half of next year and says that financial control is the first step in making everything work. “I have to balance my current costs with those of the exchange process, like airfare and lodging. It’s not just about packing up and going,” she says.
The experience that didn’t work helped Paola, this time, to choose a more realistic path in defining her goal. Passport renewal is already scheduled and tickets will be purchased in late January, but while she hopes all goes as planned, she is ready to embrace the unexpected once again if need be. “I’m willing to recalculate the route, but without giving up on my dream,” she says.
Therefore, Thais recommends making frequent reviews of your goal list. “These reviews can be done once a week, a month, or a quarter,” she says. Choosing the best frequency will depend on the level of complexity in your life. If you’re someone with a lot of tasks and goals, reviewing this list every week to make sure they’re progressing is essential. If not, monthly and quarterly reviews are good options.
Know some techniques
There are techniques that can help you ensure that your intended goal can be achieved. One of these is SMART, an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely. In this methodology it is necessary to define five points: specify which objective you intend to achieve; define how you will measure the success of this goal; make sure it is an achievable goal; make sure it is relevant; and set deadlines for completion.
Another technique is the Eisenhower matrix, which is more focused on managing time in order of importance and urgency. Very important and very urgent goals must be prioritized. Less urgent, but very important ones can be scheduled. Very urgent and unimportant ones can be delegated if appropriate. Less urgent and less important should not be prioritized.
Plan for 12 months
It may seem obvious to say that a year is made up of 12 months, but it’s important to keep this in mind when setting your goals. It is common that, in order not to clearly understand how much time is available to achieve goals, people create themselves much larger goals than they can embrace in a year or fit into a charge logic to achieve a very large goal in a short time. . time.
Kelly Christi, 33, is aware of this and is betting on a detailed plan to be implemented in 12 months. She plans to write her third book and has decided that the best way to achieve this is to set deadlines throughout the year. Readings and research related to the book’s theme, for example, have already begun and should continue in the first months of 2023. After that, it’s time to focus on writing the book, which will occupy a good part of the year. Once this is done, it’s time to look for a contact with the publishers for the publication.
“With my first book, I realized that organized, anxiety-free planning allows things to happen and goals to be achieved,” she explains, who kept the same path for her new book but is open to changes in plans. “I can plan the launch for September 2023, but the publisher can plan for 2024. Even as I plan, I try not to get frustrated with expectations, because a lot of things are not in my control.”
According to Thais, working on goals throughout the year is important to create perspective on what’s possible to fit during 12 months. It’s also an opportunity to put aside the idea that you need to solve everything in the universe in one year, because most of the time that’s not possible. “Planning has to be worked out throughout the year. It’s not something you just do once.”
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Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
