Caity Healy | Lifestyle Editor

Setting goals is a vital component of developing as a person and becoming the version of yourself that would make you the most happy. With the start of the new year, many people will use the date as a beginning point to tackle whatever goal they’ve been thinking of trying to accomplish.

While New Year’s resolutions are a common way to start aiming for a specific target, they’re also a common way to shoot further than you had anticipated and leave yourself feeling disappointed that you weren’t able to achieve what you had planned. To prevent this from happening, you have to plan your resolution not just based on your dream outcome, but on realistic guidelines.

First of all, you have to know yourself. Knowing what you’re typically capable of doing, what your schedule usually looks like and what your tendencies are regarding goals will help you decide what is best for you. For example, in previous years I had always made it a goal to lose weight. In choosing that, I wasn’t taking into account the fact that I typically give up on those types of things often, and that because I didn’t have any type of plan for it, I would never achieve it. However, last year I made it my new resolution to go to the gym at least three times a week. It was far more attainable, less daunting and fit my tendencies and schedule well. In the end, I was going almost daily until the end of the school year.

Second, be realistic. If you’re choosing to do something that is nearly impossible, odds are you aren’t going to reach it and you will probably end up feeling discouraged. Picking goals that are possible will make it far less intimidating to tackle. This in no way means you should pick things that are easy; step out of your comfort zone and choose a resolution that will take some time, work and dedication. But that doesn’t mean you should have to work yourself too hard trying to get there.

Third, pick a resolution that can be measured in some way. One way to do this is to have a weekly log where you measure where you are at in regards to your goal. That way, you can see how much further you’ll need to go, and what steps you’ll need to take to get there.

Fourth, think about previous resolutions you had set. Have you achieved them? Do you notice any patterns in your old goals? Perhaps you’re picking things in a similar category a lot; the most common resolutions have to do with weight loss, health, and physical activity. For many, your best bet may be to think of a different aspect of your life you want to work on and focus on that. That way, you can take a break from something you know you’re struggling with and go after another part of your life that you feel can improve. You can always come back to your old goals later on.

The point of a New Year’s resolution is to use the end of the old year to reflect on who you are, and use the start of the new year to become a better you. Take advantage of this time to really think about where you want to see yourself by the end of 2018, and plan accordingly. But also, plan realistically. In no way does this mean you can’t shoot for a difficult goal. For some people, that works best. But, whatever you choose, make sure it’s something that will work for you.