Did you forget to follow up with your New Year’s Resolutions? This is one of the most common pitfalls I see with any kind of goal setting… no follow through. You get excited and motivated to move forward with your goals. You write them out and maybe even tell a few people what they are. Then you get back to life and forget all about them.

If you forgot about your New Year’s Resolutions – this is the week to pull them back out. Follow these steps to help you stay on track:

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1. Write them down… again. If you know what they are, but didn’t write them down, then write them down. If you wrote them down at the beginning of the year – pull them out and write them again. Yes.. write them out again.
2. Post them up. Out of sight, out of mind. It is easy to forget your Resolutions if they are stuffed into a folder or a drawer and you never see them. After you write them down, post them up. Make a copy and post them in another spot. Make them your computer screen saver. Do whatever you need to do to see them and remind yourself of what you want to work towards.
3. Schedule a check-in. You don’t mean to get off track with your goals, it just happens. If this is something you really want to change (you have good intentions, just not good follow through) you need to create some accountability. The first step toward creating accountability is setting a time to check in on your goals. Not just setting the time, but scheduling the time. Pick a time, put it in your calendar, and stick to it.
4. Get support. An additional step that can help create some accountability is to have someone to check in with. You need a goal buddy. It doesn’t have to be a professional goal buddy (like me), but you do need someone that will give you the support you need to stick with your goals. “Support” doesn’t mean having someone that says things like:

“Whatever. So you’re not making any progress; it’s no big deal.”

or…

“So anyway, did I tell you what happened last week?”

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Real goal buddy support is having someone that will encourage you on your path, but also not let you slide with your commitments. You want your goal buddy to ask you things like:

“So what kind of progress have you made this week?”

“How confident are you in accomplishing your goal? Is this something you really want?”

“What obstacles did you encounter that blocked your path? How can you prepare for that going forward?”

If you got off track with your original Resolutions – don’t sweat it. Truth be told… I will also be following these tips this week. As soon as I’m done typing, I am on the hunt for those Resolutions I wrote down. If you can get back on the saddle and take some steps to ensure your follow through, you will be more likely to accomplish those goals and be ready to set new ones.