W
by
CASSIE GOFF
Setting smart resolutions
elcome to 2019! As we all begin to realize the consequences of those holiday snacks and dinners, pesky New Year’s resolutions nip at the frontal lobes of our brains. As we set goals to help us achieve those resolutions, it’s important to remember that we need to set goals that can be completed. Setting a resolution like “lose weight” ends up in a spiral of money lost into programs, diets, gym passes, specialty foods and more. George T. Doran publicized his theory on how to set attainable goals in November 1981. His theory was aimed toward individuals working in the business world, since his original paper was published in “The Management Review.” However, it was such a great idea that today his theory is widely used and almost universally recognized. Doran recommends setting S.M.A.R.T. goals. That’ll be easy to remember right? Let’s walk through each of those letters, and illustrate them through one of the most common resolutions last year: losing weight. A resolution of “I want to lose weight this year” is not considered to be a S.M.A.R.T. goal. S stands for specific. Doran suggests targeting “a specific area for improvement,” even identifying who is
involved and what the action is. For our example, we could identify a loss of pounds, a healthier BMI, or reducing inches around your waistline. M stands for measurable. Doran proposes quantifying “an indicator of progress.” Luckily, for our example, this specific part of our S.M.A.R.T. goal overlaps a bit into measurable. We can measure how many inches around our waist or arms we have lost or see if our body fat percentage has gone down. A stands for achievable. Doran states that “the objective must be attainable with the amount of time and resources available.” In other words, we may think about this point as living within our means. If we know we will be able to set aside only three hours for exercise per week, and two hours for food preparation per week, our goal should not be to be as skinny as Keira Knightley or as bulky as Hulk Hogan. R stands for realistic. Doran advises creating “an objective that is reasonable to ensure achievement.” Health science research has found that an average human being can lose one to two pounds per week, healthily. So, our goal should only be to lose between four and eight pounds per month. T stands for timely. Doran recommends “specifying when results can be achieved.” Make sure to set time stamps
for goals. In our example, if we want to lose weight within the next year, we should set smaller goals within that time frame. For example, maybe we can lose 20 pounds within the first three months and an additional 10 pounds within six months. Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals can be the difference between achieving New Year’s resolutions and failing to even grasp at them. If we are constantly setting unspecific, non-attainable goals, we may be setting ourselves up for failure. Such failure inevitably leads to a depreciation of mental health and personal
well-being. This may be the ultimate objective for the recommendation of setting S.M.A.R.T. goals: making sure we set ourselves up for success, while in the process, protecting the state of our mental health, and ensuring a personal well-being. And hey, setting S.M.A.R.T. goals allows us to save some money as well. Un-S.M.A.R.T. goals usually leave us in a frazzled scramble where we spend too much money on things we think will help us achieve our goals last minute. Avoiding that crunch time helps our brains, as well as our wallets. l
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