There’s something about a new year that promises a fresh start and new goals for the year ahead. A fresh new year is a clean slate to do the things you’ve been putting off, but all too often by the time February rolls around, you’ve already forgotten what the goals you set were!

Whether you're looking to improve your health, save a certain amount of money, advance in your career, or simply live a more fulfilling life, setting clear and achievable goals can help you stay on track and make progress throughout the year. Setting goals doesn’t mean you need to change every aspect of your life, one goal that you stick to is better than 10 that you don’t!

Here are 5 tips to make sure you’re setting goals that will stick in 2023:

1. Be specific

One key to setting realistic goals is to be specific. Instead of simply saying that you want to ‘exercise more’, set a specific goal like ‘exercise for 30 minutes a day, five days a week’. This will give you a clear target to work towards and make it easier to track your progress. It will also be super satisfying to tick this off your daily to do list!

2. Make sure your goal is measurable

Another important factor to consider when setting goals is to make them measurable. For example, instead of saying that you want to ‘read more’, set a goal to ‘read for 30 minutes everyday for the next 6 months’. This will give you a clear way to measure your progress and determine whether you’re on track to achieving your goal.

3. Set realistic goals

It's important to set realistic time frames for your goals. Setting a goal to ‘run a marathon in a week’ is not realistic, while setting a goal to ‘run a marathon in a year’ is. Being realistic with your time frame will help you to stay motivated and on track.

4. Take baby steps

Another important step in setting realistic New Year's goals is to break them down into smaller, manageable steps. For example, if your goal is to ‘save $10,000 by the end of the year’, break it down into smaller goals like ‘save $190 per week’. By breaking down your goal into smaller steps, you can make it more manageable and less overwhelming.

5. Stay motivated

Finally, and probably the hardest of them all, is to stay positive and motivated. Setbacks and obstacles are a normal part of the goal-setting process and life in general, but it's important to remember that progress, not perfection, is the key to success. Celebrate your accomplishments, big and small, and stay motivated by reminding yourself of the reasons why you set your goals in the first place.

If you know you want to make a change in 2023 but aren’t sure where to start, take a look at the list below to get some goal-setting inspiration:

• Read X amount of books this year
• Drink X litres of water per day
• Save X amount of money each week
• Get X hours of sleep each night
• Cook a new meal every week
• Donate X amount to charity
• Practice a new hobby weekly
• Walk for X minutes X times a week
• Spend only X minutes daily on social media