60. Making SMART Goals That Stick

Kelsey

Hey y'all, welcome back to the Pleasant Spirit Podcast. I’m Kelsey, and I’m sitting here, coffee in hand—Starbucks, of course—with my favorite person, Kyle. We’re diving into the world of resolutions and why, let’s be real, most of mine basically end in a pile of yarn by February.

Unknown Speaker

That’s a pretty specific visual, Kelsey. And it’s perfect for what we’re talking about today. You know, a lot of us set New Year’s resolutions with the best intentions—healthy eating, working out, you name it. But research shows, and this isn’t just my own observation, most folks stop following through by, what, the third or fourth week of January?

Kelsey

Totally! And no judgment, because I have done it all. Seriously, last year I told myself, “Kelsey, you are not buying any more yarn this year.” Which sounds... like a good idea until I wander into a Joann’s after a stressful day and the next thing I know I’m sneaking a new skein home like it’s contraband. () Resolutions just don’t stand a chance if they’re that, well, vague—and a tiny bit delusional.

Unknown Speaker

I love that story. I’ve definitely had my own, ah, let’s just call them “ambitious" resolutions crash and burn too. But what’s interesting—research actually backs this up—is that resolutions tend to fail because they’re usually not clear or realistic. “Be healthier” or “stress less” — those are nice ideas, but they’re just too broad for our brains to stick to when real life happens.

Kelsey

Right, but there’s hope! And it’s got a catchy acronym: SMART. This isn’t new, but it’s one of those things that makes such a difference if you actually use it. It stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. And honestly, I remember the first time someone broke it down for me, I was like—“Ohhh, so I can’t just wish myself into organizing my closet. Huh.”

Unknown Speaker

Exactly. SMART goals are used all over the place—business, therapy, even just for personal growth. Unlike typical resolutions, they’re grounded in your actual daily reality. When you follow those five steps, it’s like you’re giving your brain a real map instead of just a “hope and a prayer.”

Kelsey

Plus, by making a goal specific—like, “I’m gonna crochet for 15 minutes after dinner each night”—instead of just, “I wanna crochet more,” it suddenly feels doable. Or at least, harder to wiggle out of! We all need a little structure, right?

Unknown Speaker

Let’s dig a little deeper into how this actually works. I find if you don’t really see it in action, it can just be a bunch of corporate-speak. So, let’s put some meat on these bones. S is for Specific. Instead of “get better sleep,” you could set a goal, “Go to bed by 9 every night.” See the difference?

Kelsey

Yeah, and then M, Measurable—it’s like checking off the box. You can look at your calendar and see, “Oh, I actually made 9 p.m. bedtime five times this week.” It’s not about perfection, but you can track it and notice if you need to tweak something. I love using my phone for these little reminders, even if, let’s be honest, sometimes I snooze more than my alarm.

Unknown Speaker

Attainable is next, which is a tough one for dreamers like me. Like, I’m always tempted to go big, but being honest about what you can actually do is huge. For instance, if you work swing shift, a 9 p.m. bedtime is probably setting yourself up to fail.

Kelsey

And Relevant—oh, this is such a big one. Goals work way better when they matter to you, not because your friend is training for a marathon or your cousin is on some weird juice cleanse. Relevance makes everything stickier. Like, I wanna sleep better because it means more energy to go outside or chase Khloe around—not just to say I did it.

Unknown Speaker

Then we bring it home with Time-bound. If you say, “For the next month, I’ll be in bed by 9,” suddenly there’s a finish line and it almost makes it fun. Like a challenge. And after a month, you can check in and adjust.

Unknown Speaker

You know, there’s also that thing I see in my massage practice—clients come in saying, “I want to lose 30 pounds by June.” That’s what they call a performance goal, where you’re chasing a number or outcome. But research actually shows mastery goals—where you focus on learning or building a habit, like, “I’ll walk for 15 minutes every day”—are way more sustainable.

Kelsey

So true. When I try to focus on “never buying yarn again,” I set myself up for a meltdown by February. But if the goal is “walk Khloe to the park three times a week” or “meditate for five minutes while my coffee’s brewing,” it’s something I can actually fit into my life. It feels like I can win, even if things go sideways one day or two.

Unknown Speaker

Exactly. Like, I helped a client set a goal to get outside for a 15-minute walk each day—just that. Not “lose a bunch of weight,” not “fix everything.” She started small, built some confidence, and over time, it became about the process and not just the number. If she missed a day, we didn’t beat ourselves up, we just talked about what got in the way and tried again. It was about progress, not perfection. Actually, that’s sort of a theme for our whole podcast, isn’t it?

Kelsey

It really is! Small, real-life habits, and a lot of compassion for when you trip over your own feet—literally or metaphorically. And if you do trip, hey, there’s always tomorrow and maybe iced coffee as a reward.

Kelsey

So now we’re at the part everyone kind of dreads—the sticking with it and not giving up. Real talk: there are gonna be days when the wheels totally fall off. That’s normal! The trick is adjusting and being kind to yourself when life gets bumpy; like, you can always tweak the plan—you’re not flunking out of life if you need to shift things.

Unknown Speaker

Yeah, and that’s a place where so many people get hung up. The research really says making changes is a process, not a straight line. Tracking your goal, journaling, or even using your phone—whatever works for you—helps you spot where things go off the rails, but also where you’re getting better. And it’s okay, even healthy, to revise your goal if you find something isn’t working how you thought it would. Doesn’t mean you failed—it means you’re paying attention.

Kelsey

Something that’s helped for us—remember when we set that goal to spend 10 mindful minutes together every day, with or without Khloe hanging off our legs? Some days it was a peaceful, candles-lit kind of moment, and other times it was like, “Well, we’re doing this meditation with pink marker on the floor and a screaming toddler in the background.” But we stuck with it because it mattered to us, not because it looked perfect.

Unknown Speaker

Yeah, the “why” behind a goal really matters. If you’re just chasing someone else’s idea of success, it comes apart fast. But when it’s meaningful—to your routine, your family, or just to how you wanna grow—it anchors you when things get messy. Also, weird as it sounds, celebrate those tiny wins. Like, literally pat yourself on the back for making bedtime two nights in a row or journaling for five days straight. Every step counts.

Kelsey

Totally. And if you need to change the plan? That’s fine! Adjust, reflect, and keep the celebration going for any forward movement. There’s no gold star for perfection, just points for showing up and growing a little every day. Like we say all the time here, it’s not about being perfect—it’s about being present.

Unknown Speaker

Well, that feels like a good place to wrap it up. Thanks for joining us on the Pleasant Spirit Podcast. If you set a SMART goal, or you completely bombed your resolution and wanna share, we’d love to hear about it. We’ll be back in a couple weeks with more stories and gentle nudges toward that next step.

Kelsey

Take care of yourselves, be gentle, and chase those tiny wins, friends! Bye Kyle, thanks for talking through all my yarn mishaps today.

Unknown Speaker

Always happy to hear about the yarn, Kelsey. See you next time, everyone!