Establish sustainable and meaningful goals the S.M.A.R.T. way.

Whoa, January is coming to a close! How are your resolutions coming along? Hashtag no pressure, because if you’re anything like us, we fell off the bandwagon ages ago. Hah. 

Don’t get us wrong, everybody has something to work on. But we also strongly believe not to set ourselves up for failure in the process of bettering ourselves. And we can start by setting goals instead of resolutions!

Thanks, English Oxford Living Dictionaries.

A goal is significantly more actionable by definition, zooming in on what you need to do to become who you eventually want to be. While a resolution sounds like “I want to save more money”, a goal would say “I’ll make my own coffee instead of buying from the coffee chain in order to save more money”. Essentially, it’s breaking down an aspiration into doable actions.

We’re big fans of making goals that are S.M.A.R.T: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound. Introduced in 1981 by George T. Doran, the goal-setting guide gives clarity to your ideas and helps you to focus and productively use your efforts and resources, therefore increasing your chances of achieving your aspirations.

Here is a breakdown of the popular concept and how a Photobook merch or two can help you along the way!

S – Specific

Be specific when setting your goals, and consider the 5Ws to help you be clear of what you want to achieve.

Start with your big dream or aspiration. Envision the person you desire to become. Let’s say, you want to live well, have good health and vitality. This would be your WHY, the basis and motivation to your goal (aka the WHAT). In this instance, one of the WHATS could be cutting 10% of your body fat.

Jump-start with a clear mind: lay out your 5Ws in black and white, like on these personalisable Insta Cards.

M – Measurable

How else would you be able to track your progress? With data that you can see, you’ll know how far you’ve come and need to go. The visualisation will keep you focused and give you a boost of motivation.

Our notebook can be a fitness journal, or anything you like!

A – Achievable

Your goals need to be realistic enough that they can be attained within a given time frame, taking in consideration the resources you have and the obstacles in your way.

For illustration purpose only, let’s say your current body weight is 132lbs and your body fat percentage is 33%. The commonly recommended loss rate is 1lbs per week, so giving yourself 13 weeks to cut 10% (or 13lbs) off your body fat with an exercise regimen is a realistic assignment.

R – Relevant

Not all goals are created equal, so make sure they are worth your time and effort. The goals you set to work on should benefit you in the long run and make you the person you set out to be (remember your WHY)!

In this case, losing 10% of my body fat is one step to curb diseases, allowing me to live a healthy and independent life filled with vigour! 

Wake up with a purpose: put your “why” on a beautiful hanging canvas and let it inspire what you do.

T – Time-bound
An excellent motivator, deadlines keep your eyes on the prize (your goal) and prevent everyday tasks from distracting you away from your long-term aspirations! Upon achieving the very first goal, you may want to maintain your newfound habit or routine, and explore other goals that align with your bigger aspiration – in this case, to “live a life of health and vitality”.

For example, I should go to the gym today to clock in my 3rd workout of the week.

Once I’ve reached 23% body fat in April, I’d start preparing my own clean meals 4 times a week.

In August, I’d want to be able to run a half marathon.

Personalise your calendar to remind yourself of monthly goals and their motivations.

One more thing we love about setting goals instead of new year’s resolutions is that you can start anytime – just like our calendars – and they don’t necessarily “expire” at the end of the year. All targets and deadlines are up to your discretion, so take it one day at a time. And remember, it’s okay to fail once in a while – just try again the next chance you get.  

We hope this post has been encouraging, and that you’ll find the personalisable tools you need to slay those goals!

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