How to set goals you can keep in 2019

Please note: This item is from our archives and was published in 2018. It is provided for historical reference. The content may be out of date and links may no longer function.

Fireworks light up the Berlin skyline from the landmark Fernsehturm TV tower as the German capital celebrates the arrival of the new year on 1 January 2018.

Fireworks light up the Berlin skyline from the landmark Fernsehturm TV tower as the German capital celebrates the arrival of the new year on 1 January 2018.

The close of one year and ushering in of the next, be it on 31 December or with February’s Lunar New Year celebrations, often prompts people to set resolutions. Here are some ways to set goals and keep them on track:

  • Choose no more than three goals and write them down.
  • Make them measurable, manageable, and motivational.
  • Break them into small, achievable chunks.
  • Be as specific as you can about what you want to achieve, and why.
  • Make sure they reflect what you want to achieve, not what you think you should be achieving.
  • Change them if they turn out not to be right for you. Life is what happens when you’re making plans, so goals shouldn’t be set in stone.

—By Jackie Fitzgerald, FCMA, CGMA, a professional coach and owner of Alquimia Coaching & Development of Harwell, Oxfordshire, in the UK.

Up Next

Outsourcing grows globally as leaders grapple with talent, cost constraints

By Steph Brown
January 6, 2026
C-suite leaders are outsourcing IT services to harness external expertise amidst talent and budget shortfalls, but overreliance on third-party guidance poses strategy risks

Related Articles