I know, I know, it's that dreaded goal acronym.
I've had this one drilled in my head since my undergrad days at OSU, and it always drove me nuts. I would get so stuck on making sure I hit all the "SMART" boxes, that I couldn't focus on the goals themselves. That's the beauty of a mind that's going a thousand different directions at once (thank you ADHD).
However....
It's a well known acronym for a reason, and I'm going to show you how I used it to set my 2024 goals.
But, before we get there, I'm going to reveal my first three (3) goals for 2024, based on that 2/1 idea (start doing 2 things, stop doing 1 for 21 days).
Drumroll please.....
For the first 21 days of 2024, I will:
Start drinking at least 4 Eskimo Joe's cups of water each day (that's roughly 8 servings, or 64 ounces).
Start taking a multivitamin every day
Stop drinking that nightly margarita (or other nightcap)
Exciting, huh?
Not really, and they probably don't sound like big things.
Let's take bullet point number one for example.
Sixty-four ounces of water intake is just above the minimum for an adult female. Some sources say you should drink approximately 1/2 to 1 ounce per pound of body weight daily, and that number can fluctuate greatly based on your age, exercise level, sweat rate, and environment (hot, cold, dry, humid, etc.).
I'll admit that I operate best somewhere around 116 ounces of pure water a day.
But, I've gotten out of the habit of drinking water over the past few months, and I've never been a water lover.
So, drinking 116 ounces out of the gate (quite frankly) sounds like unnecessary torture.
But 4 "Joe's" cups a day is doable, even if I have to force it down all at once. And, it's adequate given that daily exercise isn't something I've worked back into the routine yet (although I do get plenty of exercise hauling firewood and running from trees that try to kill me with their falling limbs).
And I know (from experience) that after a week or two of this, I'll actually start craving that water.
So, goal #1 one (1) s:
Specific - it focuses on one small change
Measurable - minimum of 64 ounces
Achievable - while a goal of 116 ounces would have been optimal, I wanted to set myself up for success; so, I lowered that number to 64 which was something I WASN'T doing, but knew I COULD do
Relevant - it follows my 2024 rule for 2 Starts and 1 Stop for 21 days, and it's relevant TO ME and what I want to change about MYSELF
Time-Based - I'll do it for the first 21 days of 2024
After making sure all three of my bullet points meet that dreaded acronym criteria, it's time to actually DOING those things (or not doing them, as the case may be).
In the next edition, I'll look at motivators
and a couple of other tools I use that help me "stick" to my resolutions.
Until then, use the comments button to share some of your New Year's Resolutions, why you chose them, and how you are progressing.
I look forward to hearing from you!!
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