While 45 percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions every year, only 8 percent will be successful at attaining those goals. There are many reasons why people fail at their resolutions so frequently: they lose motivation, their goals aren’t specific enough, or they expect large change to come quickly without too much effort on their part.

The trick to setting goals, no matter if they’re New Year’s resolutions or not, is to make sure you set S.M.A.R.T. goals. S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym that stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-related:

• Specific. You want to be crystal clear on exactly what you want. Understand the who, what, where, when, and why of your goal. It’s not enough to make a goal of “saving money.” You want to make it more specific, such as “save $1,000” or “save 10 percent of my income each month.”

• Measurable. You must have a way to measure your success. Keep a journal of your progress that you refer to on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, so your goal continues to be something on the forefront of your mind.

• Attainable. Make sure the goal you are setting can be achieved in the time frame given.

• Realistic. Your goal should be realistic, and it should also be something you want to achieve. Are you willing to put the time and commitment into this goal?

• Time-related. Your goal must have a deadline. Perhaps it’s the end of the year, or in six months. Whatever you decide, stick to that date of completion.

With these tips in mind, you should be able to create precise New Year’s resolutions right at your Alachua, Florida, apartment. Take some time to discover what you would like to accomplish over the coming year. Some popular resolutions are to lose weight, get organized, save money, and learn something new.

If you are not yet a resident of our community, but would like to be, contact us today or stop by our leasing office.