How do you go about New Year Resolutions?

January 1st is psychologically the best day for a fresh start. I get everything ready so I have the least friction possible to get started on January 1st.

For each goal I have, I have some metric that I can measure and keep track of.

It's best to be flexible and have a plan for how to get back onto the wagon if you fall off the wagon.

Weekly or monthly milestones work best for me.

If you want to lose ten pounds, plan to lose one pound a month instead of trying to lose ten pounds in January.

For example, I buy a new baseball card for my collection whenever I make progress towards my next work promotion.

If it's June and I'd already fallen off the wagon with a goal, I would reassess and decide how to continue to make progress toward the goal in the remainder of the year.

Sometimes a goal that sounded like a great idea in December turns out to be something you dread. Not all ideas are great ideas.

Other times, you blast right past your goals and enjoy doing it. Don't stop. Maybe you should move the goal posts and continue.

I just looked at the SMART goals guidelines to see if I missed anything. I missed "Specific." I think it's very important that my goals don't look like "lose weight, make more money, and be better." Instead, it should look more like "lose 21 pounds, make $10,000 more this year, and donate $500 to charity."