The new year is creeping up fast on us — and so is the expectation to set new year goals. But in order to create long-term changes, sometimes you have to think about what can be done in the short-term first. So for 2023, why not set some SMART goals, that is — specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound.
Take the pressure off the whole year and focus first on what you want to achieve in January. Here's some of our tips!
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Be SMART
Smart goals are great to implement when it comes to goal setting. So this January, think about a specific goal first. What exactly do you want to accomplish? Define it. Then, ask yourself is it measurable — will you be able to tell if it has been accomplished? If yes, then ask yourself is it achievable? What actions will you need to take to ensure you achieve the goal? Is it relevant — will the goal you set be worthwhile and align with your long-term objectives? After answering yes to all the above, the only thing left to do is choose a realistic end date to have the goal achieved by.
To help you put your smart goals into action — we highly recommend getting a 2023 Planner and Journal. The planner will help you stay super organised. You can set mini goals within that month to stay on track. The journal is nice to have, for writing down your thoughts throughout the time you set yourself the challenge. It can be great to reflect on after the goal has been achieved and motivate you, the next time you set goals.
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Health & Fitness
If health and fitness is your goal for the new year, make a goal suitable for January — that way it can be more attainable. For example, instead of saying you want to loose 10kg, set your goal to 1-2kg. This is not only more achievable, but it's also very encouraging and can assist you reach your ultimate end goal, as opposed to giving up.
If you're looking for a goal to set within health and fitness this January, Veganuary is a great challenge to jump on. During this month, people all around the world choose to adopt a plant-based lifestyle. The aim of this, is to help the planet, our health and support animal welfare. So a very good incentive to make you stick to it. We also find joining a community group is great for challenges like these, as people can help encourage and motivate you to stay on track.
Same goes for the gym and physical activity, whilst it's a nice thought to say you want to workout everyday, trickle back to smart goal, letter A — is it achievable? You might have a busy work schedule, jam packed weekends and so it may be more practical to start with 3 days.
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Sustainable Living
Whilst, you may want to make sustainable changes to your bathroom, kitchen, laundry, bedroom etc! Pick one area to work at first. Besides the obvious fact that choosing to do everything at once is very overwhelming, you can actually try to perfect a certain room, before moving onto the next. In our experience this works best!
Even the kitchen alone is a big task to completely upgrade. So for 2023, your January goals for the kitchen might be to make the switch from plastics. Take our Reusable Silicone Food Pouches for example. Unlike plastic ziplock bags — these pouches last the mile. They can be kept in the fridge, freezer, are microwaveable and are dishwasher safe! A super easy switch to make. Another easy idea is to swap your plastic dish sponges, for a Compostable Dish Cloth. These cloths are very absorbent and long lasting. When you're finished with them, you can pop them in the composter and they'll break down. How cool is that? Even making the swap to Sustainable Shopping Bags and Produce Bags makes a huge difference! But remember to make the switches achievable for your January goals.
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Hobbies
If you're looking for some new hobbies to start the new year, we've jotted down some cool ideas to try, with — 'is it achievable?' in mind:
- Volunteer at one charity/ organisation
- Learn the keys or chords of an instrument
- Read 100 pages of a book
- Plant some tomato seeds as an entry point to creating a garden
- Cook 3 new recipes
- Join an arts and craft class
- Complete 2 bush walks
- Watch some youtube tutorials and better educate yourself on interests e.g. hair-do's, makeup, cooking, baking etc!
- Join a sports club
We hope these SMART goals help you achieve your goals for 2023, one small step at a time!
Let us know what goals you set for yourself in the comments below.
Make sure to check out the blogs below for more new year's tips, practices and challenges:
New Year, New You: 10 Tips To Start Your 2021
