On Your Mark, Get Ready… (to Set) GOals!
Get “Snorganized” in 2014…
By: Hope Stuart
January is a great month for making goals that are SMART,
getting the new year off to a great start!
Ah yes, January… time for reflecting on the past and looking forward to a new year with new aspirations and resolutions. From organizing your children to setting goals that are SMART, this article will prepare your thoughts and things for all the January happenings. By the time you are finished, you will be well on your way to forming good habits supported by goals that are not only meaningful and realistic, but timely and smart. So get ready to be inspired and transformed into a person who has good habits and organized children. January 2014 is sure to be a memorable month as you transform yourself into a person who finds success in the little accomplishments that translate into worthwhile goals.
Just How Long Does it Take to Make (or Break) a Habit?
According to Michael Rosengart in a March 2012 issue of Examiner.com, a habit is a behavior that follows a specific situation and involves almost no thought or decision making. Keep in mind that habits can be good habits, such as getting up to exercise each day or bad ones such as eating ice cream late at night.
While most research points to habits taking about a month to form (anywhere from 21-28 days), recent research is leaning toward almost 3 months (66 days) for habits to be formed. The discrepancy of time between one and three months can be explained as simply as this: it is much easier to form bad habits than it is to establish good ones that become a transformative aspect of our lifestyles. Of course, we all know that anything worth achieving takes time and… good things come to those who wait. It also has to do with a term I have coined… “practice makes permanent”. We need to give ourselves time to work good habits into our daily lives in order for these good habits to crowd out the “bad” ones and become a permanent part of our lifestyle.
When you begin to develop your goals, it is important to keep this information about habits in mind. More often than not, goals develop into habits that have the power to transform our lives. Whether it takes one month or three, aren’t you worth it?
What Exactly is a GOal?
A goal is an accomplishment that people of all ages work toward achieving. Goals may be short-term or long-term in nature, depending upon your overall objective that you wish to accomplish. Goals should be timely and meaningful to you or someone close to you. Goals should also be realistic and relevant. They should also be challenging, yet achievable and should include an outcome that can be measured in order to for you to track your overall progress.
Goals can focus on just about anything that is pertinent in your life such as: health, work, relationships, charity, family, spirituality, education, organization, and so on. Do you have a goal in mind? If not, now is the time. On your mark, get ready… (to set) some GOals!
There’s “Snow” Goals Like SMART GOals!
Whether you develop a goal related to health and wellness or one that tackles your cluttered living space, your goal must be measureable and include steps that will determine your progress. An effective way to ensure progress toward any goal is to make your goals SMART GOals. As opposed to regular goals, SMART GOals are: Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Results-driven and Timely.
· Specific – simplistically and clearly define what you are going to do
· Measurable – include a unit of measure that helps you determine your progress
· Attainable – should be slightly challenging, yet achievable
· Results-driven – focused on outcomes by measuring progress
· Timely – linked to a timeframe that determines when the results will be achieved
Tracking Your SMART GOal with Action Steps
SMART GOals enable you to track your progress due to the clearly defined outcomes and measures that are inherently included within. By breaking down your goals into smaller action steps, you increase your ability to track your progress and achieve your goal. Action steps are the things you must do on a daily, weekly or monthly basis that are directly associated with your goal.
The method of tracking your progress can be as simple as using a scale and a calendar to track your weight loss over a period of time. It can be as simple as using stickers to as complex as using an Excel worksheet. Think about using technology to your advantage, especially if you can download a free app on your phone.
There’s “Snowthing” Like Organized Kids!
Developing SMART GOals shouldn’t be an activity that is exclusive to adults. As a matter of fact, supporting children in the goal making process is a terrific habit to develop at an early age. Keep in mind, good and bad habits are developed and formed at varying intervals. By capitalizing on the formative years, parents have terrific opportunities to instill good habits in their children that come with lifelong benefits. Children can have goals related to reading, homework, exercise… the list of goal making possibilities is endless.
Getting your children to develop good habits related to organization is a terrific real world application of the SMART GOal process. From organizing their rooms and toys to organizing their backpacks and sports equipment, there are an array of venues in which parents can nurture their children’s organizing abilities.
First and foremost, it is important to include your children in the process of developing organization goals and action steps. Procedures are only sustainable when expectations are consistent and all stakeholders are involved, including your little organizers. Your children should develop these action steps with you in order to take meaningful ownership over the process. Make sure the expectations are challenging, yet attainable. Attach measures that are linked to timeframes that your children can relate to. Finally, revisit the organization process to determine progress and possible adjustments.
Let’s Get Your Children “Snorganized”!
So… what does the process of organizing your children look like? Let’s bundle our ideas and roll out our plan:
Goal: To keep an organized and clean room for one month. This includes making my bed each day and putting toys and clothes (both clean and dirty) in their proper locations.
Action Steps:
1. Inventory all the stuff in the room. This includes everything from toys and clothes to art supplies and sports equipment. Start grouping like items during the inventorying step.
2. Determine what stays in the room and what goes in the donation bin or garbage. Donating to those in need is a great experience for children!
3. Group like items into bins, drawers, baskets and containers that work for each space. Don’t forget to label storage areas.
4. Make the bed and place dirty clothes in the hamper.
Once the room is cleared of clutter (with like items stored in their proper locations), organized and cleaned to meet the goal’s expectations, a picture is taken to serve as a measurable model of the final product.
How Are We Measuring Up?
Once the rooms are organized, cleaned and picture “permanent”, it is important to determine how your children are maintaining their SMART GOal for the established timeframe. Regardless of the timeframe chosen, it is necessary to track the status of the room(s) at varying times throughout. Once a week would probably be best, perhaps on the weekend when there is time to revisit storage procedures and locations, as well as time to tidy up, if necessary. Using the picture is a good way to compare the model of the room with the current status of the room. Have each child place a sticker or smiley face on the calendar for every time their rooms are found in tip top shape. Turn it into a contest…. the child with the most stickers gets a reward for their dedication to the SMART GOal. Perhaps the winner earns a special day with mom or dad, a trip to the library, or the privilege of choosing the movie to be watched during family movie night.
There’s “Snowone” as SMART as You!
The process of establishing SMART GOals is a super smart and effective way to ensure your resolutions last throughout 2014 and beyond. SMART GOals will help you (and those close to you) develop good habits that have longevity, coupled with long lasting benefits. Remember, practice makes permanent. On your mark, get ready… (to set) GOals! You will be so glad you did! Here’s to a totally terrific 2014!
For more information about SMART GOals, refer to this link:
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