Goal Setting the SMART Way and How I'll Use it to Read More in 2020

Last year I made the resolution to “read more.” And then I totally did not read more. How many people can relate to wanting to do more of something or do better at something but struggle to make it a reality? Pretty sure most of us have been there!

One thing I have learned lately throughout my weight loss journey is that the way you set goals is really important. It’s not as simple as saying “I want the be healthier” or “I want to lose weight” or “I want to drink more water.” Goals have to be SMART.

S pecific

M easurable

A ttainable

R ealistic

T ime bound

So for instance, instead of saying “I want to drink more water,” you could say something like…

“I want to drink at least 6 cups of water every day of the week.”

Instead of saying “I want to exercise more,” you could say something like…

“I want to exercise for 1 hour every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at Planet Fitness for the next month and play a sport or do a recreational activity with my family on Saturday mornings.”

Those are so much more achievable because you’re not only saying what you want, you’re making a plan of how you’re going to make it a reality.

A goal without a plan is just a wish.

So back to my reading goal.. last year I totally failed to read more, but I think that’s because I didn’t have a plan. So right now I’m committing to an actual reading goal that I hope to accomplish by the end of 2020. I found a reading challenge that will give me ideas for which books to read and maybe guide me to books I wouldn’t otherwise pick up. I’ll talk more about that in another blog post. But here’s my SMART goal…

From March to December of 2020 I want to read 1-2 books every month for a total of at least 12 books.

I always loved reading in my younger years and it’s something I’ve really missed in my adult life. Here’s to making things happen!