As we all know, the new year is a common time for people to engage in self-reflection and set intentions or goals for themselves. Over the years, you may remember some goals you’ve set that were easier to maintain than others. What makes a goal sustainable? This answer might look different for everyone, but there are a few tips and tricks about goal setting that can be valuable in promoting realistic expectations of ourselves.

Challenging Black or White Thinking

Black and white thinking is a type of mental filter that we have a tendency to adopt. It is also known as all-or-nothing thinking, and can be defined as a predisposition to categorize things as all good, or all bad without a nuanced in-between. This mental filter can influence people to perceive feelings, experiences, or challenges in extremes rather than with flexibility. When it comes to goal setting with all-or-nothing thinking, a single setback can lead to giving up entirely. An alternative to this way of thinking is to view setbacks as a normal part of the process and part of growth. When these mental filters are challenged, we can act in ways that are more flexible, intuitive, and compassionate with ourselves. This approach often lends itself to more sustainability in acting in accordance with our values.

Setting Realistic Expectations

Another helpful tool, when challenging all-or-nothing thinking and working towards a sustainable goal, is setting realistic expectations for ourselves. If we want to sustain change, we should be setting ourselves up for success with steps that we can realistically implement in our every day lives. Examples of reflection questions that consider this are: Is this goal achievable given my current resources, time, and energy? Do I need to ask for help or surround myself with supportive people? How can I navigate obstacles in achieving my goal? SMART goals represent actions that are specifically defined, measurable, attainable based on your current abilities, relevant to your overall values, and are time bound. If you’re using a SMART goal, you will likely have clear achievable behavioural expectations for yourself rather than a vague or general idea of what you want to see change.

Breaking Down Steps

The final consideration, when setting a sustainable goal, is breaking down the outcome or end point you want for yourself into small and sustainable steps. It can be helpful to conceptualize the importance of this by visualizing two ladders of the same height side by side. Once you’ve done this imagine that the ladder on the right has two steps to get to the top, and the ladder on the left has multiple steps to get to the top. While our logical brain might tell us there should only be two steps to get to a goal, as you can see it would be harder to get to the top of the ladder in two steps because that means the steps will be farther apart and harder to reach. If we break our goal down into multiple steps, like the ladder on the right while it may seem more gradual and a slower pace they are much easier to reach and we can climb to the top faster.

Overall, setting sustainable goals requires a balanced approach. Progress is not always linear and by challenging all-or-nothing thinking, setting realistic expectations, and breaking down goals into small steps you are on the path for sustainable change.