It’s that time of year, that is, the beginning of a new year. And for many, that means resolutions for a new you.

For most of my adult life, I have been adamantly opposed to “New Year’s Resolutions.” I generally viewed them as silly promises to yourself that are rarely kept. But a couple of years ago, I found myself setting two resolutions. One was to drink 64 ounces of water each day. I was feeling run down and looking like a lizard in the bitter Iowa winter. All the health gurus said it was good for you, so why not give it a try?

The other resolution was to read one book a month. Since being in grad school, taking a job as a professor and center director, and raising two beautiful children, reading for pleasure has not been near the top of my “to-do” list. As a child, I was an avid reader, and I longed to get back to that version of me.

And so, as January commenced, books and water were top of mind! The water drinking went about as well as I expected a resolution to go. After a month or two, I stopped paying attention to the number of ridiculously overpriced bottles of water I was drinking each day. And I settled back into my old habit of hoping to drink even one 12 oz. bottle a day. I gave up without a fight.

Reading proved to be more fruitful. I asked neighbors, colleagues, and family members for book recommendations and I compiled a list. I also listed all the months and tracked which book I was reading each month. When I finished a book, I satisfyingly wrote a check mark by the month. And sometimes I rewarded myself by purchasing a new book. Two years later, I have continued to read without a goal, self check-list, or reward. Reading is now just what I do. So, the question is, why was I successful with my reading resolution and not my water drinking one?

I think part of the answer lies in my approach. I tackled drinking more water with my typical New Year’s resolution resistance—an idea to make a change in my behavior, but no real commitment or strategy. I set an unreasonable goal going from barely one glass a day to eight glasses a day. I didn’t record how many ounces I was drinking each day. I didn’t reward myself when I drank a certain amount. I simply told myself to drink more water. There was no structure to keep me committed. And this is why most “resolutions” fail.

Instead, when we set measurable, obtainable goals with systems to hold us accountable and track our progress, we are much more likely to stick with the process and attain our goals. If you are looking to make a behavioral change in your life, or maybe you have a student who is struggling with something in the classroom, a systematic approach to goal-setting may be just the right strategy!

In fact, goal-setting has a long history of research indicating it can result in improved behavior that can sustain over time—whether it be increasing exercise, eating healthier, reducing students’ disruptions, or improving students’ attention to tasks (Bruhn et al., 2016).

4 Steps for Effective Goal-Setting for Educators and Students

Following, I offer 4 steps for effective goal-setting for adults and students alike.

1. Identify the behavior you want to change and what you want to do instead.

For me, I wanted to spend less time scrolling through my phone and more time turning the pages of a book. I wanted to read, GASP!, an actual book! 

You may have a student in class who is constantly blurting out and you want the student to raise his/her hand and wait to be called on.  Whatever the behavior is, make sure it is clearly defined and you or your student are capable of performing the behavior already.

2. Set an initial goal that is reasonable and achievable.

It was unreasonable for me to think that I could go from 1 to 8 glasses of water a day. A more achievable goal would have been 2 glasses and then continue to increase my intake as consistently as I achieved my goals. One book a month seemed reasonable and achievable to me as long as I didn’t have to read a certain number of minutes or pages a day. By giving myself some flexibility, I was more apt to put in the time to achieve my reading goal.

For the student blurting out, maybe the goal starts at raising a hand 25% of the time or once per instructional period. Again, it’s hard to go from 0 to 100. Gradual change is more attainable and that starts with a realistic, measurable goal.

3. Track progress and adapt accordingly.

Recording your behavior on an electronic calendar, a smartphone app, or a good old-fashioned sheet of paper is a tried-and-true method of not just tracking progress, but also facilitating progress and holding you accountable. This is another place I went wrong with the water-drinking resolution. I should have kept a log of the water I was drinking. You can even graph your progress on a simple Excel© spreadsheet. Research has consistently shown that recording your progress and graphing that progress leads to changes in behavior (Bruhn et al., 2016). Students, in particular, enjoy participating in the graphing process, as the visual can be a very powerful motivator (Hirsch et al., 2013).

Tracking progress also enables you to adapt your goals, as needed. If you are crushing two glass of water a day, it may be time to increase it to three or four. If the student is struggling with hand-raising in all classes, perhaps just focus on one or two classes. Please hear this: lowering a goal is NOT lowering your expectations—it is simply making the goal more reasonable and achievable. Once that goal is achieved, you can always adapt it again, as success breeds success!

4. Reward goal attainment.

When you meet a goal, it is important to celebrate your success! As I wrote earlier, sometimes I would reward myself for finishing a book with a new book. For students, acknowledging the work they put in can go a long way. In this way, you can praise both the process and the achievement. Although some people are resistant to reinforcement, the research is clear that reinforcement can enhance goal attainment (Bruhn et al., 2016; Bruhn et al., 2022). It doesn’t always have to be a tangible item like a new book—perhaps it’s just a 10-minute break or time with friends. Eventually, I found that I didn’t need to reward myself as I had re-discovered my love for reading. But, for behaviors that are more difficult to change, reinforcement may be key to initial success.

So, as you embark on this new year, and you are thinking about resolutions or behavior changes, I encourage you to consider these four steps as a more systematic way to meet your goals. After writing this blog, I think I am going to take some of my own advice and try again with the water-drinking goal. This time, I’m starting small and keeping track of my progress! Check back with me next year to see how I did! Cheers and Happy New Year!

References

• Bruhn, A. L., Gilmour, A., Rila, A., Hancock, E., Van Camp, A., Shaeffer, A., Fernando, J., & Wehby, J. (2022). Treatment components and participant characteristics associated with outcomes in self-monitoring interventions. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 24, 156-168.
• Bruhn, A. L., McDaniel, S. M., Fernando, J., & Troughton, L. (2016). Goal-setting for students with significant behavior problems: A systematic review of the literature. Behavioral Disorders, 41(2), 107-121.
• Hirsch, S. E., Ennis, R. P., & McDaniel, S. C. (2013). Student self-graphing as a strategy to increase teacher effectiveness and student motivation. Beyond Behavior, 22(3), 31–39.