No matter what your profession may be, the New Year is a great time to set new goals and make resolutions for the future. As a creative it is no different. In fact, given that creatives are often guided by their passions, setting concrete goals is often a vital component of one’s future success. Therefore, although they may be challenging to stick to–making New Year’s resolutions can be one of the most helpful tools in terms of propelling your career forward. With that in mind, the following is an overview of which steps to take to make a New Year’s Resolution and stick to it.
Why Resolutions are Hard to Keep
No matter how good your intentions may be, resolutions are typically challenging to stick to. According to Business Insider, here are some of the top reasons why these resolutions are hard to keep:
- Failing to Plan: As the saying goes, those who fail to plan, plan to fail. Resolutions are no exception. Taking the time to make a resolution is only the first step. It would help if you took the time to plan how you are going to execute and truly achieve your goals.
- Unprepared: Another reason resolutions are hard to keep is that we are not ready to make the changes. This is because resolutions are typically made when we have things that we desperately want to change but have not been able to thus far. So, when making resolutions, we think about our most pressing challenges and assert that we will make changes. However, this is often easier said than done.
- No Way to Track Progress: Lastly, many people fail because they don’t have a way to track their progress. No matter how determined you may be, if you do not have a way to keep track and hold yourself accountable, you will likely give up on your goals.
Use the SMART Formula to Keep Your Resolutions
Using the SMART formula may be one of the most effective ways to set resolutions and stick to them. Although the SMART Formula has been used for a wide array of situations and scenarios, it can also be applied to New Year’s resolutions too. Here is an overview of the SMART formula and how it can be applied to resolutions:
Specific
The first step is to make sure you are being specific. So, rather than making a resolution to start selling T-shirts in 2022, you may want to make a resolution to sell a certain number of t-shirts, or better yet, a certain number of t-shirts per month.
Measurable
Next, you must make sure that your goal is measurable. This is because it is much easier to keep track of goals when you can measure them. So, to use the previous example, you may make a resolution to sell 100 shirts per month. Once you reach that goal, you would reassess and create a new goal.
Achievable
Moreover, you need to make sure you are setting goals you can actually achieve. This is not to say that you can’t make big goals. However, you should still make sure you are somewhat attainable. So, for instance, if you have 10K followers, selling 100 shirts per month may be easily achievable. But, on the other hand, if you only have a few hundred followers, selling 100 t-shirts a month may be too lofty of a goal for the time being.
Relevant
Moreover, the resolution must also be relevant. You need to make sure your goal is essential and relevant to your overall brand. For instance, if your goal is to break into music, selling T-shirts may not be the way to go. Instead, you may opt to sell NFTs of your music. This would be an excellent way to start presenting your music in a way that allows you to make money gain exposure.
Time-Bound
Lastly, make sure your goal is time-bound. This means the timeline of your resolution must also make sense. So, if your goal is to sell 100 t-shirts, this should be something that you are poised to do or believe you can achieve in a relatively short amount of time. Otherwise, this may be a resolution you should put off until next year.
SMART Resolution Examples
Here are some examples of goals creatives can set using the SMART model:
- Creating/selling a certain number of NFTs
- Gaining a certain number of followers
- Learning a new skill to boost sales/engagement
- Finishing a creating work within a certain period of time
Ready to Get to Work?
Now that you know how to achieve your New Year’s Resolutions, treat them as a plan of attack rather than something that may be achieved somewhere in the future.
“Most people will passively do exactly what they did last year. Whatever you do, don’t let that person be you.”
Richie Norton
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