Have you tried to create an achievable goal for the new year before? As the year comes to a close, many start to review their accomplishments and are inspired by their wins or losses to set new goals for the upcoming year. Hence, the New Year’s resolution. According to U.S. News & World Report, approximately 80 percent of resolutions fail by the second week in February. But not you. Not now. Not this time. Why? You’re going to set yourself up for success by doing the following:

1. Write down the goal – Just deciding on a goal is not enough. You need to write it down so that you will remember it better. Once you write it down, put it in a place you’ll see it every day. Do not file it away. Remind yourself every day to look at it and remember why you chose it. This will help keep you on track when you just don’t feel like it.
2. Publically declare it – It is easy to say, “I’m going to lose 20 pounds starting today,” and then adjust the start date when you only declare this goal to yourself. Telling others will prevent you from doing those small adjustments that take you further from your goal. For example, changing the goal start/end date or changing the scope of your goal (10 pounds instead of 20) when the going gets tough. A public declaration also makes it hard to forget about a goal and ignore it.
3. Plan it out – Spend the time to explore what steps are needed to achieve your goal and plan out the timeline to reach it. What do you need to do every day, every week, and every month to reach it? How long will it take to do each of those actions? Once you know what you need to do and when you need to do it, schedule it on your calendar. If you want to work out three times a week, schedule three workouts per week on your calendar. If you want to go to bed by a certain time, set an alarm on your phone to ensure that you do.
4. Schedule it – Schedule regular intervals to review and reassess your plan and actions. Each week, schedule 30 to 60 minutes to review how the previous week went and what actions worked or did not work for your goal. Maybe running was too hard this week. Perhaps you should decrease the distance or go slower. Maybe running was too easy. Perhaps you should increase the distance or go faster. Maybe the workout time just did not fit your schedule and you need to consider a different time or day.
5. Hold yourself accountable – Holding yourself accountable to your plan is the most important part of achieving your goal. It keeps you on task when the going gets tough, you had a bad day, negative people tell you to give up, or you just do not want to do the work. It also forces you to measure your progress. Having a life coach to help you stay accountable is one of the best ways to do this. A life coach will listen to you and can see your obstacles without the emotion or attachment that you associate with them. When emotion is removed from the obstacle, you can more easily move it out of the way of your goal.

This year, get your goals off to a great start. Remember to write down your goals and declare them. Take the time to plan them out and schedule your actions to accomplish them. Then work with a coach to hold you accountable to your goals and actions toward them.

Roanne Abe is founder of Goal Focused Results and is a strategic intervention coach who is devoted to empowering clients to take action each day or week to achieve the life they want. Anyone interested in taking steps to achieve goals can learn more at GoalFocusedResults.com or contact Roanne at 808-386-2834 to sign up for a free clarity session.